Everything, they say, is bigger in Texas. That includes the state’s teacher workforce, which is the largest in the country. One upshot of this is that, because of rising student enrollment, high teacher turnover, and declining interest in teacher preparation programs, Texas schools are now hiring thousands of alternatively certified teachers and searching for ways to best support them.
Two recent studies from the Lone Star State are illustrative of a larger national challenge and instructive for leaders scrambling to hire and support alternatively prepared teachers.
The first of these studies found that in the 2020–21 school year, one in nine teachers in Texas schools left the teacher workforce. The following year (2021–22), more than half (57 percent) of newly hired teachers in Texas did not have a regular teaching certificate. 30 percent held only an intern or emergency license, and 27 percent held no certificate at all. That’s a problem, according to the study, because on average, students fare better in classrooms with teachers who graduate from traditional university preparation programs—equivalent to 2.2 more months of learning in reading and 1.8 more months of learning in math.
Many districts, of course, have little choice but to hire teachers with alternative (or no) certification. A second Texas study offered a ground-level view (via surveys and focus groups) of what first-year, alternatively certified teachers say they need to succeed in the classroom. Here’s what these teachers want:
- Help with student motivation and behavior. New alternatively certified teachers report being “shocked” by student apathy and disrespect and in desperate need of practical strategies to motivate students and curb unwelcome behaviors.
- Lesson plan lifeline. With little background in lesson design or differentiated instruction, new alternatively certified teachers struggle to translate standards and instructional materials into engaging lessons; they welcome having model lessons and units to follow as they learn the ropes.
- A focus on the basics. These new teachers want their induction programs to “delete a lot of the fluff and make things simple” by focusing on basic teaching practices and step-by-step guidance for things like lesson design, grading, and communicating with parents.
- Supportive mentoring. These teachers also report that having a positive relationship with a supportive mentor—a “go-to person” who they turn to for advice throughout their first year—is essential.
Of course, every first-year teacher could benefit from these supports. Moreover, alternatively certified teachers are often mid-career professionals who bring enthusiasm, maturity, commitment, real-life experience, and community connections to the classroom. So, with the right supports, what might seem like a big challenge could turn out to be a big opportunity for school systems.
