Focus on teacher recruitment and retention

While experts cite several factors that are contributing to the shortage, UC’s Anna DeJarnette told WCPO that UC has not seen a noticeable decline in the number of students pursuing an education degree.

DeJarnette said UC’s education students are given the opportunity to work face-to-face with local districts and have a connection with students in the area before they graduate.

“What we see most often are that students will pursue jobs (either) in those districts where they’ve been student teachers — sometimes they even have job offers before they finish student teaching,” DeJarnette said.

According to the segment, a study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 86% of K-12 schools in the U.S. reported issues with hiring new teachers ahead of the 2023-2024 school year.

In addition to being the school director, DeJarnette is an associate professor of math education.  She earned her PhD in mathematics education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studies students' mathematics learning through problem solving, groupwork, and opportunities for mathematical discourse. More broadly, she is also interested in students' development of problem-solving practices across STEM contexts including science and engineering.

The UC School of Education is housed within UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. 

Watch the interview.

Feature photo at top: iStock Nikada