Original article in EdSource by Louis Freedberg.
California registered voters regard the emerging shortage of K-12 teachers as a very serious problem and think that the state should be taking decisive action to rectify the situation, according to a poll commissioned by EdSource and the Learning Policy Institute.
The survey was conducted by the Field Poll, in part with support from the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, following recent reports indicating that the number of new teaching credentials issued in California has declined steadily for more than a decade, along with even more precipitous reductions in teacher preparation program enrollments.
The poll found that statewide, 64 percent of voters describe the shrinking supply of teachers as “very serious,” and a similar proportion (65 percent) thinks it’s “extremely important” for the state to do more to encourage young people and others to enroll in teacher preparation programs.
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