AACTE Participates in White House Discussion on School Staffing Shortage

Strengthening the Teaching Profession Through Public and Private Sector Actions

(August 31, 2022, Washington, D.C.) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education(AACTE) met with the Biden-Harris Administration today to discuss the nationwide school staffing shortages.

“It was an honor to have AACTE at the table with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and other key decision makers, such as the Secretaries of Education and Labor,” said AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D. “There are solutions to this crisis, and I am confident that in working together we will accelerate our work to recruit and retain highly-qualified and diverse teachers. Education is an exciting and worthwhile profession, and I believe that today’s conversations, alongside members of the talent industry, will take us far as we lead collaborative and solutions-based work. To have this spotlight today on the education profession from the White House elevates the importance of teachers and education in the U.S.”

The United States has experienced a decline in the number of students graduating college with degrees in education and an increase in the number of educators retiring or leaving the field, for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden has called on Congress to reverse this trend by increasing funding for federal programs that help train, recruit, and retain individuals to become teachers, school counselors, psychologists, speech language pathologists and other school-based professionals. At today’s meeting, education and private sector leaders discussed specific steps that could make it easier for individuals to become teachers and addressed three topics:

1. Opportunities for impacting shortages
2. Strategies for getting more Americans on the path to becoming a teacher (strengthening and diversifying the teacher pipeline)
3. How the private sector and workforce system can help more Americans explore these roles and help districts connect with candidates

As a member of the Pathways alliance, AACTE is co-chairing, with Deans for Impact and the National Center for Grow Your Own, the working group responsible for drafting the National Guideline Standards for apprenticeships in the field of teaching.  AACTE’s Gangone participated in today’s conversation to share what the Administration and Departments of Labor and Education can do to support the profession.

The discussion was convened by the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, and included the following:

• The Honorable Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education
• The Honorable Martin Walsh, Secretary of Labor
• Ambassador Susan Rice, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
• Representatives from the education community and private sector

In its efforts to address the teacher shortages, the Biden-Harris administration announced today the public and private sector actions it is taking to strengthen the teaching profession and help schools fill vacancies.

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About AACTE

AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) elevates education and educator institutions and strategic partners. Through its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, inquiry and impact, and quality and innovation, AACTE seeks to revolutionize education for all learners. Learn more at aacte.org.