The Center for American Progress just published, “Educator Pipeline at Risk: Teacher Labor Markets After the Great Recession.”  Researchers Lisette Partelow and Christina Baumgardner examined enrollment trends in teacher education programs and found that in all but three states, Washington, New Hampshire, and Utah, institutions of higher education are seeing fewer students pursuing a teaching career.

It’s clear that nearly all states – both “red” and “blue” – are struggling to meet the personnel needs of their public schools.

North Carolina’s enrollment dropped by 15 percent between 2008-09 and 2013-14.  That’s small potatoes compared to the 79 percent drop in Oklahoma, which is the largest percentage decrease in the nation.  (See bar graph below.)  In the Southeast, South Carolina had a 50 percent enrollment decline, while colleges and universities in Tennessee saw a 40 percent drop.  At the other end of the spectrum, Virginia’s 8 percent decrease was the smallest in the region.

Of course, this data undermines the argument that North Carolina Republicans are responsible for enrollment declines in schools of education.  Rather, there are a number of issues that are not unique to the state, including economic conditions, compensation, concerns about job security, challenging working conditions, limited career pathways, misconceptions about the profession, etc.

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