! The$Learning$Policy$Institute’s$Review$of$the$LAO$Analysis$of$the$State$Teacher$Shortage$and$ Recommended$Actions$ $ We$welcome$the$very$thoughtful$analysis$of$teacher$supply$and$demand$conditions$by$the$ Legislative$Analyst’s$Office.$$We$agree$with$the$LAO’s$analysis$that$the$state’s$most$immediate$ and$pressing$need$is$to$address$perennial$teacher$shortage$areas$(special$education,$science,$and$ math$–$we$would$also$add$bilingual$/$English$Language$Development$(ELD)$teachers)$and$ teachers$who$teach$difficult$to$staff$schools,$especially$those$that$serve$highIpoverty$ communities.$$We$would$argue$further$that$it$is$essential$to$staff$these$needs$II$which$ predominantly$affect$the$most$vulnerable$students$II$via$the$kinds$of$programs$that$bring$in$ fullyIprepared$educators,$whom$research$shows$are$twice$as$likely$to$stay$in$teaching,$and$ ensure$that$those$teachers$are$supported$to$stay$in$the$classroom$through$strong$mentoring$and$ induction$programs$in$their$first$years.$ $ Meeting$this$goal$of$ensuring$that$our$most$vulnerable$students$are$taught$by$fully$prepared$and$ supported$educators$means$offering$service$scholarships$or$forgivable$loans$to$recruit$individuals$ into$highIneed$fields$and$locations.$It$also$means$expanding$effective$models,$like$residency$ programs,$that$prepare$and$mentor$them$well$for$the$specific$challenges$they$will$face.$$Evidence$ in$California$and$nationally$shows$that$residency$graduates$are$viewed$as$highly$effective,$and$ they$stay$at$much$higher$rates$in$urban$schools$than$other$recruits.$$The$LAO$suggests$that$ service$scholarships$may$be$more$effective$than$loan$forgiveness$programs.$We$agree$that$some$ service$scholarship$programs,$like$North$Carolina’s$Teaching$Fellows,$have$been$extremely$ productive$in$recruiting$and$retaining$highIability$candidates$in$highIneed$fields.$Evidence$ suggest$that$both$approaches$can$be$effective$if$selection$strategies$are$properly$targeted$and$ accompanied$by$wellIcalibrated$incentives.$$(We$will$be$issuing$a$brief$on$this$research$in$the$ coming$week.)$$ $$ We$also$agree$that$it$is$imperative$that$the$state$develop$a$longitudinal$teacher$database$to$ track$workforce$trends$and$determine$the$effectiveness$of$workforce$policies.$$We$raised$this$ issue$in$our$report,$as$the$current$lack$of$data$sharing$between$CTC$and$CDE$makes$it$impossible$ to$regularly$estimate$key$labor$market$variables,$such$as$the$hiring$of$inIstate$teachers$and$rates$ of$teacher$attrition.$$ $ While$we,$too,$believe$that$the$market$will$begin$to$respond$to$the$current$shortages,$we$do$not$ think$that$waiting$for$a$market$response$will$be$sufficient.$$We$note$that$the$“natural$market$ response”$to$shortages$in$the$late$1990’s$was$actually$a$huge$influx$of$underprepared$teachers$ (more$than$40,000$on$emergency$permits$and$waivers$at$that$time,$plus$thousands$of$others$ teaching$while$still$in$training).$$The$“supply”$of$fully$qualified$teachers$did$not$naturally$meet$ demand;$instead,$the$“demand”$for$fully$qualified$teachers$was$artificially$dampened$by$ neglecting$the$education$of$children$in$highIminority,$highIpoverty$schools$–$who$were$ frequently$taught$yearIafterIyear$by$a$parade$of$inexperienced,$untrained$teachers.$$$ $ Changes$occurred$as$the$state$enacted$an$ambitious$set$of$policies$to$spur$recruitment,$subsidize$ preparation,$boost$salaries,$and$improve$working$conditions.$$Attention$was$reinforced$by$the$ Williams$v.$CA$lawsuit$and$the$federal$requirement$for$“highly$qualified$teachers”$under$No$Child$ ! ! Left$Behind.$$$Many$of$these$policies$were$ended$some$years$later$during$the$budget$cuts$that$ also$dampened$demand$for$teachers$and$grew$class$sizes$to$the$largest$in$the$country.$$We$are$ now$experiencing$the$lack$of$recruitment$policies$as$the$education$system$is$rebounding.$$ $ We$are$mindful$that$California$has$some$real$challenges$to$address$as$a$result$of$its$budget$cuts$ over$the$last$decade,$and$some$of$these$will$require$explicit$policy$strategies.$$The$ability$of$ districts$to$create$better$salaries$and$working$conditions$for$teachers$depends$almost$entirely$on$ the$full$funding$of$the$state$funding$formula,$which$will$give$poor$districts$(where$shortages$are$ most$severe)$a$greater$chance$to$catch$up$to$others.$$It$may$also$make$the$state$somewhat$more$ competitive$in$the$nationwide$quest$for$teachers$–$which$will$be$a$keen$competition$as$shortages$ exist$nationwide$and$are$especially$acute$in$some$nearby$western$states.$$However,$even$when$ LCFF$is$fully$funded,$California$will$still$be$below$the$national$average$in$school$spending.$$This$ means$that$recruiters$from$other$states$that$offer$better$teaching$conditions$and$lower$housing$ costs$will$continue$to$have$an$easy$time$luring$CaliforniaItrained$teachers$away.$$(On$that$point,$ we$note$that$the$number$of$newly$credentialed$teachers$overestimates$supply,$because$not$all$ of$those$credential$recipients$enter$teaching$in$California.$Some$go$off$to$other$states$and$others$ go$off$to$nonIteaching$jobs.$$By$one$national$estimate,$the$proportion$of$newly$graduated$ teachers$who$enter$the$profession$in$the$following$year$is$about$75$percent.)$$ $ Another$challenge$includes$the$sharp$cuts$to$the$UC/$CSU$system$that$caused$many$teacher$ education$programs$to$shrink$and$others$to$close$entirely$over$recent$years.$$Program$loss$was$ especially$pronounced$in$special$education,$where$dozens$of$programs$closed$in$recent$ years.$$Unlike$some$other$states$that$use$cost$formulas$to$fund$slots$in$state$institutions$of$ higher$education$by$professional$field,$California$tends$not$to$target$funding$by$field$or$in$ways$ that$account$for$actual$program$costs.$$That$means$that$universities$have$few$incentives$to$carry$ more$expensive$programs$II$like$those$that$require$clinical$training$II$when$funds$are$short.$$ $ Restoring$these$programs$and$planting$new$models$–$such$as$undergraduate$preparation$ pathways$that$have$been$largely$absent$from$the$state$since$the$Ryan$Act$moved$teacher$ education$to$the$postIbaccalaureate$level$in$1970$–$will$require$targeted$funding$for$the$public$ higher$education$system$to$reIgrow$teacher$education$enrollments.$$Competitive$grants$may$be$ needed$to$start$or$expand$effective$program$models,$including$those$that$begin$in$the$ undergraduate$years,$like$the$UC’s$innovative$math$pathways$and$some$especially$successful$ special$education$programs$in$the$CSU$system$and$private$colleges.$$$$ $ New$models$are$most$needed$in$math,$science,$and$special$education,$which$have$continued$to$ decline$even$as$a$tiny$uptick$in$teacher$education$enrollments$has$begun$–$and$could$be$ effective$if$coupled$with$service$scholarships$or$forgivable$loans$for$candidates$who$will$serve$for$ several$years.$$But$the$California$Department$of$Education$has$listed$almost$every$teaching$field$ on$the$shortage$list$it$sends$to$the$U.S.$Department$of$Education$annually,$so$we$should$not$be$ lulled$into$a$sense$of$false$security$that$the$market$will$correct$itself$without$strategic$assistance.$ Policymakers$will$need$to$be$watchful$and$vigilant$for$many$years$to$evaluate$and$address$the$ state’s$needs$until$a$healthy$teaching$market$is$wellIestablished.$$$ $ In$that$regard,$we$welcome$the$LAO’s$research$about$additional$strategies$used$across$the$ ! ! country,$such$as$signing$or$retention$bonuses$for$wellIqualified$teachers$in$highIneed$fields$and$ locations,$including$those$with$National$Board$Certification,$and$housing$subsidy$programs$ (including$mortgage$assistance)$as$an$incentive$for$entering$and$staying$in$specific$districts$or$ schools.$$These$and$other$approaches$may$prove$important$as$we$more$fully$understand$what$is$ needed$and$what$works$to$guarantee$wellIqualified$teachers$for$every$California$classroom.$$ $$ $$ $ Linda$DarlingIHammond,$President$ Patrick$Shields,$Executive$Director$ Roberta$Furger,$Senior$Writer$ Leib$Sutcher,$Research$Assistant$ ! !