Monday, May 6, 1035
Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
Officials battle teacher shortage
By Ana Lowe
StaET Reporter
Experts predict a national teacher
shortage in elementary and secondary
schools and it may affect Nebraska,
they say.
Enrollment is down in the country's
teachers colleges, and fewer graduates
seek careers in education,
UNL Teachers College enrollment
increased some this year, but a teacher
shortage already has hit some parts of
Nebraska, officials say.
Marilyn Moore, administrative assist
ant for personnel, said Lincoln Public
Schools hires about 100 new teachers a
year. The district received 1,304 appli
cations for 92 teaching positions in
1984-85, Moore said. In 1973-74, 2,319
certified teachers applied for about
100 jobs, she said.
UNL Teachers College enrollment
also has declined, said Eon Joekel,
associate dean. In 1971-72, about 5,000
UNL undergraduates were enrolled in
Teachers College, Joekel said. In fall
1884, there were 2,300, he said.
The number of Teachers College
students peaked in 1971-72, Joekel
said. Since then, he said, enrollment
has dropped by as much as 40 to 50
students a semester. The number has
increased slightly this year. Joekel
said, but he has "no doubt" that the
state will ran short of teachers in the
next few years.
Both Moore and Joekel cited low
teacher pay, growing career oportuni
ties for women and formerly tight
teacher job markets as reasons for the
move away from education.
Teachers' salaries used to be com
petitive with pay for other professions
requiring the same amount of educa
tion, Moore said. Now, the LPS starting
salary of $13,750 a year lags behind
average pay in other professions, she
said.
New opportunity in other fields has
drawn many women away from teach
ing, Joekel said. Ten or 15 years ago,
"education was the place for females to
go," he said. But women now have more
fields open to them, and many who
might have entered teaching 15 years
ago now are pursuing other careers, he
said.
Students also have turned away from
teachers college because of previous
low demand for teachers.
"For a long time, there was a well
publicized teacher surplus," she said.
"A lot of teachers were not finding
jobs."
The surplus has since disappeared,
but many students still hesitate to
major in education, she said.
Joekel said this "cycle of supply and
demand" is natural in most fields.
"Business is tight right now," he
said. "In 1971-72, business college was
crying for students."
Teaching jobs are opening fast now
too fast in some cities, Joekel said.
Moore said, she doesn't predict a teach
er shortage in Lincoln.
"Lincoln is a very desirable place to
live and a desirable place to teach," she
said. "A lot of good people want to
teach here."
But, Joekel said, job seekers are less
attracted to rural areas, especially in
western Nebraska.
"Some students will say they don't
want to live in rural areas," he said.
"They don't always want to go where
the jobs are."
Some subject areas are more likely
than other to be hit with teacher shor
tages, Joekel said. In May 1934, the
UNL Teachers College graduated 200
elementary education majors, but only
Graduate exam...
CcntisEsd frcm Page 8
More older students now are return
ing to graduate school after years on
the job, Ewing said. Nobody knows the
effect of their scores on the national
averages, he said.
Both Irby and Ewing think more test
ing should be done before concluding j
that all U.S. college students are muss
ing something in their eduction.
"The students who take these exams
axe not a representative sample of
American students," Ewing said.
four In special education, he said.
Twenty received math and science
endorsements a third of the number
a few years ago, he said.
And not all teachers college gradu
ates go on to teach, Joekel said. Some
women get married and start families
before or soon alter graduation, he
said. Other graduates get jobs in other
fields, Joekel said. Insurance compan
ies often hire teachers college gradu
ates because they have "good people
skills," he said.
Officials now are looking for ways to
recruit new teachers in Nebraska. The
UNL Teachers College has sent a pro
motional videotape to Nebraska high
schools, and representatives are mak
ing extra efforts to meet with high
school students.
The state legislature also has autho
rized special loans for student seeking
teaching endorsements in math and
science.
State Science Consultant Don Wood
burn said students may borrow up to
$3,000 $500 a semester interest
free, while they are in school. Then, for
each semester they teach math or
science in Nebraska, $500 of their
loans are forgiven, he said. Students
who change their majors, fail to gradu
ate or teach less than the time required
to cancel their loans must pay the
money back at 8 percent interest, he
said.
About 135 students from UNL and
other Nebraska teachers colleges now
have these math and science loans,
Wooburn said. Officials hope the loans
will help prevent a serious shortage of
math and science teachers in the state.
Already half the math classes in U.S.
secondary schools are being taught by
people without the proper endorse
ments, Joekel said.
Despite the need for more teachers,
Joekel said he hopes hiring standards
will not drop in the state's public
schools. He said entrance and gradua
tion requirements at UNL's Teachers
College are not likely to change.
"We're not going to drop our stand
ards, just because there might be shor
tages," he said.
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