Teachers
Alabama Department of Education wants to give stipends for special ed teachers
Jennifer Church, the lead special education teacher at Pelham Ridge Elementary School in Pelham, knows how much her colleagues do before stepping into a classroom. “The referral meetings, eligibility meetings, IEP (individualized educational plan) meetings, the parent contacts just to organize all of that,” she said. “Writing the IEPS … providing the services to the […]
Higher pay and opportunities draw teachers from struggling districts, says state superintendent
A lack of housing and opportunities is making it difficult for Alabama’s poorer schools and school districts to hold on to teachers, State Superintendent Eric Mackey told a gathering of educators and lawmakers Wednesday. Speaking during a presentation during the meeting of the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning, which includes superintendents, officials and lawmakers, […]
Plagued by teacher shortages, some states turn to fast-track credentialing
Faced with alarming teacher shortages, Virginia last month agreed to partner with a for-profit online teacher credentialing company, hoping to get more teachers into classrooms faster and without the higher tuition costs of traditional colleges and universities. While some of the Virginia school board members had qualms about the process, they agreed to give it […]
How to solve Alabama’s teacher shortage? Pay teachers more, say officials
Education officials told the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning Monday that the best way to address school staffing problems was to pay teachers more. “The only thing we’ve found that fixes it is pure economics,” said State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey about staffing summer camps. “We’ve got to pay a lot more.” Alabama has […]
Alabama lawmaker files bill to allow teachers to use sick leave for adoptions
An Alabama lawmaker has filed a bill that would allow teachers to take sick leave when adopting a child. Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, the sponsor of HB 103, said in a phone interview Monday it came out of conversations with an educator who was not able to use her sick days after adopting a newborn. […]