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6 EDCAL May 30, 2016 Policy institute brief examines solutions to teacher shortage A policy brief from the Learning Policy Institute looks at the issue of loan forgiveness and scholarships in recruiting more candidates to the teaching profession. The brief notes that attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified teachers is challenging when college graduates carrying significant student debt have more lucrative career choices. A number of approaches have been put forth, with two of the more popular being loan forgiveness and service scholarships. LPI brief authors Anne Podolsky and Tara Kini note this is similar to what the medical profession has done to attract practitioners to service in underserved communities. “Existing research on teacher and physician loan forgiveness and service scholarship programs suggests that, when the financial benefit meaningfully offsets the cost of professional preparation, these programs can successfully recruit and retain high-quality professionals into fields and communities where they are most needed,” the brief notes. As far too many California school districts are discovering, the hiring pool of qualified teaching candidates is rapidly shrinking, brought on by the Great Recession’s massive cuts and layoffs to K-12 education. An entire wave of young teachers felt the brunt of layoffs and understandably began to turn to other professions. The LPI brief additionally notes that teacher salaries lag behind those of other occupations that require a college degree, and young people often accrue significant debt to prepare for the profession. Recruitment and retention challenges are typically greatest in underserved urban and rural communities, as well as in subjects like math, science and special education. People can earn significantly higher starting salaries in private sector jobs. Even after adjusting for the shorter work year, beginning teachers nationally earn about 20 percent less than individuals with college degrees who enter other fields, and the gap widens to 30 percent by mid-career. Compounding this challenge, more than two-thirds of those entering the education field borrow money to pay for their higher education, resulting in an average debt of $20,000 for those with a bachelor’s degree and $50,000 for a master’s degree. College loans represent a significant debt burden for many prospective teachers and a potential disincentive to enter the profession. The brief indicates that offering subsi- Paid Advertisement dies for teaching preparation in the form of loan forgiveness or service scholarships, tied to requirements for service in high-need fields or locations, is a promising practice. If recipients do not complete their service commitment, they must repay a portion of the scholarship or loan, sometimes with interest and penalties. The federal government and the states have long offered such incentives to medical professionals to fill needed positions, and have periodically done so for teachers as well. In both medicine and teaching, research suggests that these programs have been successful when the subsidies are large enough to substantially offset training costs. More affordable than acrossthe-board salary increases, loan forgiveness and scholarship programs offer a targeted, short-term approach to increasing teachers’ overall compensation package at the time that it matters most to individuals’ career decisions, LPI says. The policy brief concludes with a list of elements that can make a program of loan forgiveness or service commitment successful. Among the recommendations are that it should cover all or a large percentage of tuition; target high-need fields and/ or schools; and commit recipients to teach with reasonable financial consequences if they do not fulfill the commitment. For the full list of recommendations, an abstract of the policy brief and more information, please go to https://learningpolicyinstitute.org. IQC addresses Hindu history concerns California Department of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission heard testimony May 24 from Hindu and Indian history stakeholders about the importance of equity and cultural competency in the Social Science and History Framework. The IQC elected to adopt proposed edits, including the decision not to replace mentions of India with “South Asia” and the reintroduction of two sages of diverse backgrounds. Since 2014, efforts by the Hindu American community have been under way to update the textbook framework put forth by the CDE, which many say currently reinforces cultural stereotypes and historical inaccuracies about Hinduism and India. In July, a final draft of the framework will be created. The framework will drive textbook adoption and classroom instruction. GENDER Other Gender Specific Needs. • When Worlds Collide: Autism and Gender. •  Diversity in Action: Creating A Gen­ der Inclusive Community. The last day to register is July 3. If you have any questions, please email events@ genderspectr um.org. Registration may be accessed at http://goo.gl/ic9Ezc. More information can be found by visiting www. genderspectrum.org. Continued from page 5 Conference. Expert practitioner sessions will include: •  Legal Aspects of Creating Safe Schools for Gender-Expansive Youth. • Inclusive Practice On the Ground: Gender and the Classroom. • Supporting Student Transitions and Paid Advertisement