Kan. teaching pool can’t stanch leaks

Fighting the looming teacher shortage in Kansas is a bit like taking a swing at a shadow. You can take potshots into the dark and hope something lands, but until you know the enemy in front of you, there’s no way to mount a good defense. And therein lies the problem, said Kansas University School of Education Dean Rick Ginsberg. “The numbers are so vague in this state,” he said. “We don’t know how many teachers are truly needed everywhere.” What they do know is that record numbers of teachers are nearing retirement age, there is a rising number of long-term vacancies in rural and inner-city school districts, and fewer college students are training to become teachers. Ginsberg said Kansas universities were faced with the mammoth task of solving the problem. According to the National Education Association, about 20 percent of... [read full story]