Addressing educator staffing
The educator preparation pipeline in Massachusetts is not meeting the staffing needs of schools and districts. Public school districts still rely on employment waivers to fill open positions in high-need areas. Waivers, provisional and emergency licenses allow districts to meet legal employment requirements without ensuring students have fully qualified educators.
Entry Level Educator Preparation
Massachusetts requires that all educators employed in a public school hold the appropriate license issued by DESE. Emergency and provisional licenses permit legal employment for a fixed period and have no coursework or preparation program requirements. When districts are unable to find licensed and qualified candidates for open positions, the district may apply for a waiver to legally employ an educator who does not hold the appropriate license. The number of waivers issued each year to districts is one signal that the educator preparation program pipeline is not keeping up with the needs of districts.
Declining Completers in High Need Programs
Initial licensure preparation programs are the required entry-level teacher training programs in Massachusetts. Initial preparation programs may operate at the undergraduate level as part of baccalaureate degree requirements. Candidates for licensure may enroll in an initial preparation program with no prior experience or coursework related to education. Each preparation program establishes its own application requirements and admission standards. There is a well-documented decline in the number of completers in all initial licensure educator preparation programs in Massachusetts. At the post-baccalaureate level, candidates who enroll in programs may have prior experience in education including employment as a classroom teacher under limited-term licenses or a waiver.
In the 2018-19 program year, DESE reported 3,659 candidates completed initial teacher preparation programs (excluding administrative and other education licensure programs). Program characteristics include undergraduate, post-baccalaureate programs in institutions of higher education, and residency programs. Each approved program undergoes a review and approval process and is subject to regulatory requirements for program content and quality.
Fewer individuals are studying to become teachers and preparation programs are not producing enough teachers for the specialty fields most needed by districts. The use of waivers is one measure of this gap. In the 2019-2020 school year, DESE issued 1,579 individual waivers to fill these gaps.
The deficit for full trained and licensed teachers is most visible in roles that serve high-need students. Nearly 70 percent of the waivers issued in the 2019-2020 school year were for special education, English as a second language, mathematics, and elementary and middle school science. The preparation pipeline gap disproportionately affects urban districts. Nearly 40 percent of the waivers issued that year went to educators in Springfield, Holyoke, Lawrence, New Bedford, and Fall River. All are urban districts where DESE partially or entirely controls the district administration. Teachers who are employed under a waiver are vetted and supervised by their district administration. These teachers may have professional backgrounds that align with the role and may also be concurrently enrolled in an initial teacher preparation program. While employment under a waiver may satisfy the legal requirements for staffing or schools, the teacher employed under this provision may not be eligible to accrue time under the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System or toward Professional Teacher Status. Under-prepared teachers and unlicensed teachers may not return the following school year, which perpetuates the gap between the preparation pipeline and district staffing needs.
MA G.L. Ch 71 §38G presumes district-based teacher preparation programs are widely available and prohibits the employment of teachers with a provisional license unless the district has program available.
In 2019, just over 30 percent of candidates completed initial preparation programs at the undergraduate level. Once employed, districts are left to develop their own policies and staffing practices to support early career educators. While DESE does collect data on the operations of mentoring programs, the DESE guidance has not been updated since 2015. Outside of the mentoring programs, DESE has failed to publish the related guidance for districts to implement the supports for teachers employed without full training and preparation. The DESE mentoring resources presume teachers enrolled in mentoring and induction program have completed educator preparation program requirements. New teachers may be assigned to participate in mentoring and induction program activities without regard for gaps in preparation, licensure, pedagogy, or prior experience.
MA G.L. Ch 71 §38G presumes district-based teacher preparation programs are widely available and prohibits the employment of teachers with a provisional license unless the district has program available.
DESE does not enforce the employment conditions for teachers under provisional licenses. The statutory language and regulations for waivers and emergency licenses have no stated expectations for support or evaluation specific to the needs of teachers with limited-term licenses. The commissioner has likewise not established any standards or guidance for the “training, support and supervision of provisional educators.” The current education evaluation system established under 603 CMR 35.00 makes no mention of supports for any provisional-licensed educators.
Massachusetts districts will benefit from supports and guidance to operate local programs leading to Initial licenses in high-need fields. Districts that are not geographically close to existing preparation programs can invest in one or more areas to support their own pipeline.
District-based teacher preparation pathways have better retention rates than independent apprentice/internship programs. As of 2020 reporting, only 45 percent of licensure program completers from the nonprofit Teach for America were employed in a Massachusetts public school. The Collaborative for Education Services, Catherine Leahy Brine Institute and Cambridge College offer programs that support current teachers completing the requirements for initial licensure and have District-based teacher preparation pathways have better retention rates than independent apprentice/internship programs. As of 2020 reporting, only 45 percent of licensure program completers from the nonprofit Teach for America were employed in a Massachusetts public school. The Collaborative for Education Services, Catherine Leahy Brine Institute and Cambridge College offer programs that support current teachers completing the requirements for initial licensure and have employment retention rates at or above 90 percent.
