Teacher shortages in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields have long been a concern, yet contemporary challenges present a unique predicament. Despite historical recruitment successes, the persistence of this issue has led to temporary solutions that often fall short of addressing the root causes. Consequently, school…

States and local education systems hold the primary responsibility for delivering public education in the United States. During the past several years, the quality of the American education system has become national policy priority, replete with school reform efforts designed to hold all students to high standards, increase student achievement,…

Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher recruitment is a challenge that has dogged state CTE leaders for decades. According to a recent survey of State CTE Directors, 98 percent said that increasing access to industry experts is a high priority in their state. And 20.4 percent of rural districts with CTE teacher vacancies report that CTE…

Career and technical education (CTE) programs of study are subject to rigorous state and federal accountability systems that provide information on key student outcomes. However, while these outcome measures can form a basis for identifying high- and low-performing programs, they are insufficient for answering underlying questions about how or why…

The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) provided states with newfound flexibility on accountability measures and school improvement strategies. Many policy experts have analyzed states' ESSA plans, which explain how states use their federal funds under various provisions of the new law, as well as the approaches states take to identify and rate…

Alternative certification of teachers recognizes pedagogical experience beyond traditional classroom coursework as a route to teacher certification. This study examines the process and outcomes of the Transition to Teaching alternative certification program. Comparisons of instructional quality along several dimensions show that the Transition to…

This article examines the efforts of a team of educators in a mid-western urban university in Omaha, Nebraska, to understand why so few persons of color enter the teaching profession and to identify actions that can be taken to attract them. The questions that were posed included the following: (1) What does past research say about recruiting…

This Nebraska edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on…

Nebraska, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a shortage of teachers in the areas of special education, English as a second language (ESL), mathematics, science, and early childhood education. In addition, a growing emphasis on the importance of teacher quality has collided with the reality of a shortage of qualified teachers. Chadron…

The main objective of this study was to procure reliable information on the education, experience, and general character of the rural teaching force of Nebraska, together with the first-hand knowledge of some of the conditions contributing to the home and school environment of these teachers. This knowledge was obtained by means of a…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Nebraska edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

This summary outline interprets the Nebraska Teacher Supply and Demand Study for its impact on educational policy. A listing is presented of factors revealed in the study of which some are controlled by policy decisions and some result from external forces impacting policy. The following factors are discussed: (1) student enrollment; (2) pupil…

Many Catholic school principals have limited assistance from their respective central offices in the recruitment and selection of teachers, especially if their objective is to recruit candidates of color or candidates for a particular subject area. Aware that teacher quality is related to student achievement, Catholic school principals must employ…

The purposes of this study were to assess the status of recruitment, preparation, certification, and retention practices and procedures concerning day trade teachers, and to assess the effectiveness of these practices as expressed by day trade teachers, local administrators, and state administrators in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,…

This report presents the views and experiences of 11 individuals from Nebraska's higher education community and a Federal official on the topic of bigotry and violence on the state's college campuses. Views were expressed at a forum held in Lincoln, Nebraska in May 1989. One of the faculty argued that society needs to learn how to communicate…