2008 Woodie Awards
State has teacher surplus in some areas, shortages in others
Alex Koldeway
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: News
The number of students who completed educator training programs in Wisconsin decreased by 21.9 percent between 2003-04 and 2004-05, according to the state Department of Instruction.
Thomas Fischer, one of the authors of a study and an UW-Oshkosh professor, said even though there was a significant drop off in the number of people completing the program, there is still an oversupply of teachers in some areas. He said elementary education, social studies and physical education were three of the areas that had the largest supply.
According to the 2006 study, the areas with critical shortages are general special education, mathematics and general science. Out of 254 school districts, 136, or 42 percent, said general special education was the area they anticipated would be the most problematic to fill vacancies.
Tara Lane, a recent graduate from the UW-Whitewater College of Education, said the requirements to get into the elementary education program are difficult, but she wouldn't want them to change.
She said students must pass the Pre-Professional Skills Test, achieve a minimum 2.75 GPA and have at least of 350 hours of working with learners to enter the College of Education. She volunteered at a preschool, middle school, a summer school class and an after-school program to obtain her 350 hours.
Lane, who is currently working as a substitute, has first-hand experience with the oversupply of elementary education teachers.
"It's a really competitive career in Wisconsin," she said. "It's hard to get a job."
Other schools in the UW System have similar requirements to enter their education programs, with the exception of the 350 hours of working with learners.
According to the Department of Instruction, there was a ratio of 48 applicants for every elementary education opening in 2006.
A survey of 132 education training program graduates from 2004-05 in Wisconsin showed that 66 percent were working as full-time teachers in public schools and just four percent were not teaching.
The number of program graduates from the UW System in 2006 was 3450, with 505 of them coming from UW-Milwaukee and 372 from UW-Whitewater.
Thomas Fischer, one of the authors of a study and an UW-Oshkosh professor, said even though there was a significant drop off in the number of people completing the program, there is still an oversupply of teachers in some areas. He said elementary education, social studies and physical education were three of the areas that had the largest supply.
According to the 2006 study, the areas with critical shortages are general special education, mathematics and general science. Out of 254 school districts, 136, or 42 percent, said general special education was the area they anticipated would be the most problematic to fill vacancies.
Tara Lane, a recent graduate from the UW-Whitewater College of Education, said the requirements to get into the elementary education program are difficult, but she wouldn't want them to change.
She said students must pass the Pre-Professional Skills Test, achieve a minimum 2.75 GPA and have at least of 350 hours of working with learners to enter the College of Education. She volunteered at a preschool, middle school, a summer school class and an after-school program to obtain her 350 hours.
Lane, who is currently working as a substitute, has first-hand experience with the oversupply of elementary education teachers.
"It's a really competitive career in Wisconsin," she said. "It's hard to get a job."
Other schools in the UW System have similar requirements to enter their education programs, with the exception of the 350 hours of working with learners.
According to the Department of Instruction, there was a ratio of 48 applicants for every elementary education opening in 2006.
A survey of 132 education training program graduates from 2004-05 in Wisconsin showed that 66 percent were working as full-time teachers in public schools and just four percent were not teaching.
The number of program graduates from the UW System in 2006 was 3450, with 505 of them coming from UW-Milwaukee and 372 from UW-Whitewater.
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