White House Announces Partnerships to Address Educator Shortages

This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of new public private partnerships to help strengthen the educator pipeline through recruitment and preparation initiatives. The partnerships with talent industry leaders include new initiatives offered to consumers free of charge: – ZipRecruiter will launch an online job portal for positions in education; Handshake will host a virtual event targeted to college students to show them job options in education including teaching, counseling, and mental health specialties; Indeed will facilitate online hiring fairs in the education field. Non-profit organizations including the National Governors Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and Council of Chief State School Officers will expand efforts to increase registered teacher apprenticeship programs and assemble best practices. In a White House convening on Wednesday, the talent industry leaders and non-profit organizations were joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Education Secretary Cardona, Labor Secretary Walsh, and Ambassador Rice to make the announcement. Additional topics discussed include prioritizing registered teacher apprenticeships through the Department of Labor and urging states and districts to increase teacher pay, and educating the field on Public Service Loan Forgiveness. In August, CEC facilitated a meeting between key White House education advisors and the Coalition for Teaching Quality to discuss ways to address educator shortages, diversify the workforce, and target efforts on the highest shortage areas, including special education. In a stakeholder call ahead of the White House announcement, key advisors noted that educator shortages are most persistent in fields such as special education.

Read the press release here.