INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A commission studying how to stem a shortage of teachers in Indiana has identified eight ways to attract more teachers and keep them in classrooms.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators on Monday finalized recommendations that it will present in a report later this month to the Indiana State Board of Education. The educator-led commission had gone through a four-month review of the causes behind the state's teacher shortage.
The commission's recommendations include reducing the number of standardized tests, providing more financial aid to college students considering teaching, and enhancing professional development opportunities.
Also among the commission's suggestions are to allow for locally developed teacher pay models that provide for regular salary bumps and reward advanced degrees, and to provide state funding for a mentoring program for new teachers.
