In a ninety –minute panel discussion at the National Press Club, eight experts discussed ideas about better pay and working conditions, but they came to no conclusion on how to fix the problem. A man by the name of Tom Loveless, who is director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, said: “In general we do not have a distribution problem.”(WWW.NEWMAX.COM) Mr. Loveless went on to say there were three million people teaching in the U.S., and six million more with teaching credentials, with one hundred thousand teachers graduating every year. He also stated that baby boomers were reaching retirement age and there will be a multitude of new teachers needed. “They will be needed in the secondary schools, not so much in the elementary schools.” (WWW.NEWMAX.COM) Loveless says there isn’t a single way to solve the problem, but he along with a panel of experts are looking at many suggestions and possibly solutions.

Others say that there isn’t a distribution problem, but an actual shortage. “ In the next ten years, Ame

The affect of the shortage is going to be far more devastating than anything. What’s going to happen to the education of the children? That’s who this whole thing really affects, the children. It doesn’t matter about how it affects the government or the teaching associations; it’s the children who are receiving the education. They can care less about teachers signing bonuses or anything else. Their education is going to diminish because we can’t get it together and fix the problem. We need to find a solution stick with it and work it out to get over this hump, for the sake of the children’s education.

“Perhaps the gravest failing of our current system of teacher education and certification is the many teachers who lack deep knowledge of the subjects they teach.” (WWW.TQCLEARINGHOUSE.ORG) Teachers lacking depth in their teaching subject, in many cases aren’t their faults. Many teachers are assigned to courses outside of their main teaching field to save money or as a convenience to administrators. “ Subject matter knowledge is essential for effective teaching, and prospective teachers should be required

What are some steps that can be taken to help solve the problem of the teacher shortage? Tom Loveless suggest that there should be a break down of structural barriers by allowing for licensing between states. This will make it easy for teachers to use their credentials anywhere. Loveless also suggest that we should continue to expand alternative routes to certification. “The old ways of certifying and training teachers do not solve the shortages.”(WWW.BFAT.COM) Offering financial help to urban schools would help them be competitive in paying salaries and also help with much needed supplies. These are just a few of Loveless’s suggestions that may aid the problem.

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