Recruitment & Retention

A Glut of Substitute Teachers in Texas

By Stephen Sawchuk — August 28, 2009 1 min read
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Here’s a fascinating story out of Texas about districts gradually getting choosier in who they will accept as substitute teachers.

Some districts, the story notes, now require applicants to hold a teaching credential. In the past, a GED or high school diploma and some relevant experience were the only real criteria.

The phenomenon appears to be a direct factor of the market right now: There are just so many more applications for these jobs that the bar has gotten higher.

I’ve come across a similar phenomenon in other districts. It didn’t make it into my recent story about the math and science talent pool, but officials in Chesterfield County, Va., told me that they had stopped accepting applications for substitute teachers altogether.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teacher Beat blog.