JMU is working to address Virginia’s teacher shortage crisis 

As it becomes increasingly urgent to prepare more teachers, as reported in the November 7 article “Virginia report shows more teachers leaving the workforce than entering it,” Virginia’s colleges and universities can play a critical role in building the teacher workforce pipeline for future generations.

At James Madison University’s College of Education, working in collaboration with Virginia’s Community College’s and local K-12 school divisions across the state, we have done a lot of work with initiatives combating against the teacher shortage crisis.

Improving flexibility and affordability during the teacher-licensure process can help knock down the most obvious hurdles students face when considering a future teaching career.

Graduate-degree licensure programs can provide flexible options that suit the unique needs of today’s career professionals and adult learners who are inspired to become teachers – allowing them to complete coursework at a faster pace or around a work schedule.

“Grow Your Own” initiatives, like the one recently established at JMU with $4.2M in state support, create a no-cost pathway with academic and professional development support programs for eligible high school students and teacher assistants to become licensed teaching professionals in their hometown school districts.

The Virginia New Teacher Support Program and The Virginia Principal are programs designed to partner intentionally with the school divisions in the Shenandoah Valley, and across the Commonwealth of Virginia, to build the professional capacity of our classrooms with highly qualified teachers.

There is no simple answer or one-size-fits-all magic bullet to tackling teacher shortages. But by offering creative new approaches with innovative solutions to recruiting and training future educators it is possible to strengthen the Commonwealth’s teacher workforce pipeline.

Dr. Mark L’Esperance, Dean
James Madison University College of Education