With more than half of newly hired teachers in Texas lacking state certification and classroom experience, researchers are sounding the alarm on the long-term impact of a stop-gap measure. Uncertified teachers leave the classroom sooner, and the dependence on inexperienced teachers results in months of student learning loss.
The research, conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, is an extension of the 2022 Texas Educator Pathways report that examined the growing teacher shortage in the context of COVID-19.
Among the findings in the new report, which is based on the analysis of state data and 26 in-depth interviews with leaders of rural and urban districts across Texas:
- Over half of newly hired teachers are now uncertified. The number of aspiring teachers graduating from standard university programs has been on a gradual decline for the past decade, leaving many districts with no choice but to hire people without state certification. Adding to this, a wave of experienced teachers left the profession in the wake of COVID-19.
- The greatest surges in uncertified teachers, especially in rural areas, occurred in secondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), CTE, and elementary contexts. For example, the percentage of uncertified new teacher hires in secondary STEM fields doubled between 2019 and 2023. If Texas is to lead the way in STEM industries, students must be adequately prepared to pursue and succeed in these careers.
- Student achievement suffers when teachers lack classroom experience. An analysis of longitudinal state data shows up to six months of learning loss when high school students were taught by an uncertified teacher compared to university-certified teachers. This builds on previous research showing that students learned more in every subject and grade level when their teacher graduated from a standard/university program.
- Uncertified teachers leave classrooms at a faster rate than certified teachers. More than 30% of uncertified teachers left the classroom after their first year of teaching.
- District leaders desire better paths to certification to tackle the teacher shortage. Nearly 80 percent of the district leaders interviewed said many uncertified teachers lack basic skills in classroom management and pedagogy.
To address the growing teacher shortage, researchers recommend directing resources such as scholarships and loan-forgiveness support to teacher candidates in high-quality educator preparation programs. Innovative, high-performing teacher preparation programs should be incentivized, and all districts should have the resources to retain high-quality teachers. For the full report, click here.