Filling in the Shortage Gaps: A Descriptive Exploration of Emergency Teacher Certification

• In Event: Transforming and Investigating Teacher Education Policy in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

To address teacher shortages, states are equipped with multiple policy tools. Emergency teacher certification is one of these tools, but little is still known about what subject-area fields require greater use of emergency certification, the characteristics of emergency certified teachers, and the schools in which they teach. This descriptive study profiles the characteristics and distribution of emergency certified teachers in Oklahoma using multiple, publicly available data files to analyze trends from 2014-2018. Findings contribute to broader work on teacher labor markets and grapple with the intended and unintended consequences of emergency certification policy by exploring the changing dynamics of the teacher workforce and its impact on the inequitable distribution of teacher expertise.

Authors

• Andrene Castro, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author

• Emiola Oyefuga, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author