It's a Rap

We get it. These are dark times in education. The teacher workforce crisis has created a palpable sense of dread for school leaders, many of whom are scrambling to shore up faculty numbers.

The pool of candidates is bone dry, and though certified teachers are strongly preferred, anyone with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and a willingness to work with children will do. Filling vacancies has become a stop gap, mad dash measure to find and put adults in front of kids. Yet, sink or swim, what happens to most of those new hires?

Unfortunately, research shows early-career teachers often don’t professionally survive as evidenced by attrition rates of up to 50% in the first five years. These high rates of staffing turnover result in a cycle of churn and discontinuity for districts. The swirling further erodes workforce stability, hurting school communities and straining financial resources with hiring and onboarding new teachers costing from $9,000 to $20,000 per position.  

This whirlpool effect in conjunction with falling educator preparation program enrollments, declines in status of the profession, pandemic driven retirements, and low new teacher retention rates (as compared with residency based preparation) has contributed to the teacher shortage crisis. Unfortunately, filling classrooms with uncertified or poorly prepared teachers is likely to continue, possibly expanding the workforce vortex that unmercifully swallows its victims. It will take time to undo years of damage, but data from teacher preparation programs based on residencies reveal there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Ample research shows residency programs work. A 2019/20 National Center for Teacher Residencies principal and teacher perception survey found residency graduates are rated more effective by principals than those in traditional programs. Residents are also highly valued by mentors with 93% feeling residents are prepared to be teachers of record. If residencies are the ray of light, Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) are a beacon, shining brightly to lead the way. 

RAPs with their associated funds and historical precedence, complement residency programs by providing a funding model that: 

• pays wages to teacher candidates, 
• recognizes the important work experienced teachers do to guide those candidates, and
• ensures sustainability while broadening accessibility to teaching.

New York, and the nation, may be grappling with a serious teacher shortage, but the innovators and disruptors have shown there are solutions through residencies and RAPs. Solutions that, in the long run, will keep our schools afloat, and off the vortex bottom.  RAPs provide schools with classroom-ready, confident teachers who will remain in education much, much longer than those entering the profession without the requisite knowledge and skills for success. Indeed, brighter days and smoother sailing are ahead for those willing to put in the due diligence and Register Apprenticeship Programs.