One-Way Teacher Exchange Program

Stories like this from the Washington Times – an account of Virginia school districts hiring more foreign nationals as teachers – points to some bigger issues going on in education today. Questions that need to be asked (and hopefully explored in future posts):

Are our schools of education adequately preparing teachers for the profession?

What incentives could be introduced to overcome shortages in hiring educators qualified to teach math, science, foreign language, or special education?

What do we do about the single salary schedule, that pays all teachers in a district according to the same rate (by advanced degrees and seniority)?

Is offering teachers “performance bonuses” even feasible, and how would you measure that?

The Virginia school districts have found one creative answer by going outside the traditional applicant pool. While I hope their commitment to a successful education really works in this case, it is highly doubtful this can be the answer for all school districts. So what can be done to bring more qualified teachers into the classroom? Thursday food for thought.