As the new school year quickly approaches, parents, guardians, students, administrators, and community members throughout Iowa could be affected by teacher shortages as hundreds of educator vacancies have been reported across the state.
Professor Mark McDermott, associate dean for undergraduate education and educator preparation at the University of Iowa College of Education, was recently interviewed by Eastern Iowa CBS affiliate KGAN to discuss the outlook for the impending school year.
The following excerpt is from KGAN's article:
“As the new school year looms, Iowa is grappling with a significant teacher shortage, with more than 650 vacancies reported statewide.
The Iowa Department of Education has identified the most critical gaps in special education, English, science, world languages, and music.
‘Every district that needs to fill a position and doesn’t feel like they have a qualified teacher in the positions that they need, that’s a teacher shortage for that particular district,’ said McDermott.
McDermott noted that certain teaching positions have historically been more challenging to fill.”