Eric.ed.gov – Re-Licensing Teachers into Math and Science: A Creative, Short-Term Solution to the Teacher Shortage.

Because of a serious teacher shortage nationwide, it has become common to find many teachers teaching “out of license”–teaching courses in which they have had few or no college courses. In an attempt to address this problem, New York City has embarked on an innovative program to relicense teachers in mathematics and science to fill the increasing shortages of staff in these areas. The concept has been to take experienced teachers and to give them the tools to change fields, to apply their skills and ideas to math and science, without risking the loss of a job or great financial expense. This paper describes the operations of the model, which has required the close cooperation of 11 universities and colleges, the New York City Board of Education, and the City of New York. The paper also examines (1) racial, ethnic, gender, and success rate statistics of participants in the program and (2) the success of the model itself and its applicability to the solution of the teacher shortage. Advantages of the program include (1) cooperation among teachers, (2) enhancement of choice, (3) public reimbursement, (4) decentralization, and (5) adult development. Five tables are included. (IW)