How Do Emergency Certified Teachers Enter the Teaching Profession? Evidence From Oklahoma

• In Event: Fight the Power: Intersections of Teachers Lives With Policies and Politics

Abstract

Oklahoma teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation and many have left to teach in neighboring states or quit the profession altogether. The response has been increasing the supply of teachers through emergency certification. The growing concern is that the teacher workforce is moving in the direction of staffing schools with non-qualified teachers who will attempt to teach for a year or two and leave the profession. However, little is known about how these teachers enter the profession. To understand this process, this study undertakes qualitative interviews with 30 emergency certified teachers in Oklahoma. The major contribution of this study will be to understand the entry process of emergency certified teachers when entering the teaching profession.

Author

• Tyler Mobra, The University of Oklahoma