MUNCIE— A report from Ball State University is refuting the idea of a teacher shortage in Indiana, instead saying there is an excess of K-12 teachers in the state.
Last year, The Star Press reported that enrollment in elementary and kindergarten teacher preparation programs at Ball State University dropped 45 percent in the past decade.
In September, the Indiana Department of Education reported a 21 percent drop in the number of state-issued licenses compared to the year before, down to 3,802 individuals.
As a result of these reports, two investigations were started in September by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and two GOP lawmakers who are leaders in education matters, state Rep. Robert Behning (R-Indianapolis) and state Sen. Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn). The investigations were aimed at finding out how to attract more educators and finding out why fewer are being licensed.
But in his study, Indiana’s Demand & Supply Issues for K-12 Educators, Michael Hicks, Center for Business and Economic Research director, said neither of these figures suggest a teacher shortage. In fact, he found that teaching has been one of the most stable occupations in Indiana over the past 30 years.
The study suggests that an excess number of teachers, and resulting low placement rate of teachers after college, is a large part of the reason for dropping enrollment. In 2012, 43 percent of all education graduates were working in fields outside of education, and a little less than half of them were paid less than teachers.
In Indiana, the study said roughly 39,000 teacher graduates are working outside of education, and almost 16,000 of those graduates are working in occupations that pay less.