S.C. leaders look at ways to tackle teacher shortage
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Strategic Talent Acquisition and Retention Taskforce has come out with its most recent report regarding teacher shortages in South Carolina.
There are currently over 1,000 vacant teaching positions in the state, and there are two main driving factors behind that number.
Patrick Kelly, who is the Director of Governmental Affairs for Palmetto State Teachers Associations and a teacher, said that working conditions and compensation could essentially make or break a teacher’s performance.
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The task force takes a look at surveys and data to come up with a blueprint and recommendations for the Department and State Board of Education.
Some of those include creating more opportunities for teachers to build a career ladder, pay, adequate and overall respect for their profession–all of which, if implemented, could lead to more effective teachers. In fact, the report says effective teachers are considered as the secret sauce for successful students, similar to a cause-and-effect relationship.
“The number one in-school factor on student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. When we have 1,043 vacant teacher positions in South Carolina, that means that 1,043 classrooms are missing that secret sauce, that critically important component of students’ success,” Kelly said.
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Kelly said these recommendations could allow teachers who want to stay in the classroom and step into more leadership roles.
“We can have both. And this taskforce report lays out a pathway to where that can occur. I think that benefits students by keeping great teachers in the classroom, and I think that benefits the profession by making it more appealing for more teachers to stay in the classroom,” he said.
Kelly said in of the next steps, it will take years to fully implement these recommendations but says there could be immediate fixes along the way if the general assembly approves some of the bills, like S. 78.
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