High school teacher academies aiming to tackle shortage, programs show promise

In the middle of March, two Bullard High School students, Merrick Crowley and Craig Coleman, led an engaging science lesson for a fifth-grade class at Gibson Elementary in Fresno.

In the front of the room, Coleman showcased an egg above a trio of containers filled with different liquids, like saltwater. Together, Coleman and Crowley prompted the students to predict the egg’s fate: Will it sink or float? Excitement filled the room as the fifth graders eagerly shared their guesses.

“You mentioned that if we visited the Red Sea, we would float,” articulated a fifth grader to explain her belief that the egg would float in the saltwater.

After Coleman released the egg into the water, the students either celebrated or expressed disappointment based on their predictions. “Can anyone explain why it’s floating?” asked Crowley, while Coleman hinted at the connection to density.

These high school students were part of Fresno Unified’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway course, one of the district’s Teacher Academy programs aimed at bolstering the number of educators entering the K-12 system.

Experts and officials in the education sector agree that early exposure and preparation for teaching, starting in high school, will play a critical role in combatting the nationwide teacher shortage issue.

Teachers are retiring in larger numbers, and many are leaving the profession due to burnout or student behavior challenges. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has also decreased, exacerbating the shortage.

Since 2016, California has allocated $1.2 billion to address the persistent teacher shortage in the state.

Despite these efforts, school districts are still struggling to recruit teachers, particularly for positions in special education, science, math, and bilingual education.

Consequently, districts and education offices at the county level are expanding high school educator pathway programs under “grow-our-own” models to enhance the teacher pipeline diversity and supply well-trained teachers into classrooms.

“The high school educator pipeline presents one of the long-term solutions we can integrate,” emphasized Girlie Hale, president of the Teachers College of San Joaquin, which collaborates with a grade 9-12 educator pathway program. “Through early exposure and interest in these (high school) educator pathways, we anticipate a positive impact on increased enrollment in teaching preparation programs.”