Teacher shortages in Virginia: Assessing state-level strategies

Shortages of qualified teachers have been identified within specific regions, subject areas, and types of schools, across the United States and in Virginia. Virginia policy makers and legislators have had limited feedback from local school divisions regarding state-level efforts to address these shortages. Further, local efforts to address shortages are hindered because local leaders have little information regarding strategies being implemented in other localities.; Sixteen interviews were conducted with individuals who held the primary responsibility for hiring teachers for their public school divisions in Virginia. The structured interviews were designed to address two research questions: (1) What are the perceptions of these individuals regarding the current and proposed state-level efforts to address shortages of qualified teachers? (2) What local strategies are being planned or are currently being used in school divisions in Virginia to address shortages of qualified teachers?; The data was analyzed qualitatively, with the discussion of the emergent themes enriched by salient quotations.; The Alternative Provisional, Special Education Conditional, and Technical Professional licenses were strongly supported, as were the Interstate Agreement Contract, Praxis Waiver Policy, and mentor teacher programs. The Local Eligibility License and Career Switcher Program were also supported by a majority of respondents, although in both cases over a third of the respondents expressed reservations regarding these strategies.; Most respondents viewed the Special Education Commonwealth Project and Master's Degree in Speech Pathology Programs very positively, with some recommending expansion of one or both. Respondents also supported and recommended increasing the K–3 Class Size Initiative and Incentives for National Board Certification.; Major themes in the data included providing additional state funding for teacher salaries; revising and expanding the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program; allowing retired teachers to return to full-time work without reducing their benefits; and lowering the cut scores for the Praxis I Basic Skills Assessment.; Local strategies mentioned mirrored the related literature and included strengthening mentor teacher programs; increasing salaries and benefits; issuing signing bonuses; increasing recruiting efforts; hiring retired teachers part-time; and hiring teachers from other countries.