Charles R. Martinez, Jr., dean of the College of Education, was interviewed about the teacher shortage for a four-part podcast series “Who wants to be a teacher?” by APM Reports, the investigative division of American Public Media.
Dean Martinez’s interview is throughout episode two of the series, which focuses on the rise of the for-profit teacher training industry. He addresses the importance of high-quality pre-service teaching experience, diversifying college teaching programs, and a critical reason for the teacher shortage that the rise of for-profits can’t solve – the devaluation of the teaching profession.
“When we have a physician shortage, all hands are on deck. It drives prestige. It drives state investments. But this has just not happened in education. We devalue what educators do so profoundly that we’re willing to let [the teacher shortage] happen,” Dean Martinez tells APM Reports. “States could approach this problem in a very different way – by elevating the profession, by investing in salaries, by investing in training, by investing in professional development, and by creating more investments in higher ed to make it affordable to be a teacher.”
Listen to the interview online and on American Public Media public radio stations after August 11.
