The
governor of Florida recently proposed lowering tuition at state institutions of
higher ed for degrees in fields that are in demand in Florida. While Governor
Rick Scott is focused on STEM industries, our first thought was whether the
same idea could apply to prospective teachers.
Our report on
student teaching looked at the issue of teacher supply and demand, and
concluded that there is a general oversupply of teachers, particularly
elementary teachers. The quality of teacher training would improve if resources
were concentrated on a smaller number of teacher candidates.
The Florida State Board of Education’s most recent study of teacher shortage
areas shows that while special education, math, and science positions are most
likely to be left vacant, each year Florida graduates almost three times as
many elementary teachers as it needs to hire.
Governor Scott – what do you think of a tuition discount for prospective special education teachers?
