College of Education Students and Dean Charles Martinez Reflect on What Awaits New Texas Teachers

By KUT Education Reporter Becky Fogel and Multimedia Producer Michael Minasi

Charles Martinez asked himself: “What’s worse than a crisis?”

The dean of the College of Education at UT Austin, Martinez says the teacher shortage that Texas and the U.S. are facing is a chronic crisis that has only grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he tried to find a term to describe it.

“I actually looked it up myself and found the better word to describe the moment is probably ‘a brewing catastrophe,’” he said. “A crisis that has become much more challenging in the face of the pandemic and the aftermath of the pandemic and the sort of divisive moments that teachers are facing.”

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