A state task force isn't going to just study Indiana's teacher shortage; it's going to devise a plan of action for state lawmakers, according to an education expert at Indiana University who has been asked to help craft a solution.
Sandi Cole, director of the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, is one of about 50 members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators co-chaired by Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction. The commission met for the first time on Sept. 11.
During the commission's initial meeting, Cole said Ritz made one point very clear: "This is not a study committee — not to study the problem, to focus on action," Cole said.
Cole said the intent will be to address issues around teacher recruitment and retention.
Indiana has seen declines in college enrollment in schools of education and in teachers receiving licenses — an 18 percent drop in licenses issued over the past five years, according to an Indiana Department of Education news release.
On the same day of the commission's first meeting, the department also announced that its educator equity plans were approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of state equity plans is to make sure students have access to high quality teachers. Indiana was among 16 states to receive approval of its plan, the news release stated.
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