Another school year is about to begin in West Virginia, and counties will again struggle to fill every classroom with a teacher certified to teach in their content area. Last year, counties scrambled to use substitutes or assigned teachers not certified in the particular discipline for about 1,500 positions. The shortages are particularly acute in math, science and special education.
However, West Virginia is chipping away at the problem.
Another class of Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars* will begin college classes this fall. The 24 high school graduates were selected as the fifth cohort for the prestigious scholarship program, putting them on a pathway to teach in West Virginia.
The scholarship provides up to $10,000 a year for four years and it is stackable, so students can add other scholarships on top. In return, the students must be full-time and maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average.
When they graduate, the students agree to teach in West Virginia for at least five years in one of the shortage fields—math, science, special education and elementary education. The first class of Underwood-Smith Scholars from 2020 is entering the classroom this fall.
“We worked with the legislature and Governor Justice to create a preeminent scholarship that would produce new generations of strong, committed teachers for years to come in the Mountain State,” said Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker. “With a remarkable five cohorts of scholars now pursuing their teaching careers right here at home, we are well on our way to reaching that goal.”
West Virginia also has the Grow Your Own pilot program in 41 counties to try to encourage more young people to become school teachers. It allows students to fast-track into the education field with dual enrollment and advanced placement courses in high school so they can graduate college in just three years.
The program puts these students in the public school classroom with certified teachers during their junior and senior years of high school so they can get a jumpstart on learning the skills necessary to become a teacher. West Virginia ended the academic year with 377 students enrolled in the program.
There are other scholarships, grants and loan forgiveness programs available to students who are interested in becoming a teacher, and information on those can be found at the teachwv.com website.
The teacher shortage is an issue across the country. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 86 percent of K-12 schools reported challenges in hiring teachers heading into the 2023-2024 school year. Those shortages have a direct impact on student achievement.
According to the non-profit research firm RAND Corporation, “Many factors contribute to a student’s academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighborhood experiences. But research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most.”
The teacher shortage is a big problem and there is no easy answer. However, the Underwood-Smith Scholarship and the Grow Your Own program are two examples of how West Virginia is finding creative ways to make a difference.
*(The scholarship program is named for former West Virginia Governors Cecil Underwood and Hulett Smith, who were strong advocates for teachers and students.)