» notes on teacher licensing and the taxpayer funded Madison School District

Kayla Huynh:

Over 10% of the Madison school district’s teachers are relying on one-year emergency licenses to work in classrooms, according to figures obtained by the Cap Times under state open records laws.

A majority of the Madison Metropolitan School District’s nearly 300 emergency licensed educators were teaching classes in bilingual education, English as a second language or cross-categorical special education as of last month.

The state Department of Public Instruction may issue one-year emergency teaching licenses to people with bachelor’s degrees in any subject, allowing them to teach in schools without meeting the requirements for full certification. The state may also renew emergency licenses for those working toward full licensure.

Supporters say these licenses help fill roles with significant turnover or a lack of certified candidates as school districts continue to struggle with a shortage of teachers. Still, critics worry these educators may not yet be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to teach students.

“Students struggle to learn when the teachers have not been effectively prepared,” said Heather Peske, who leads the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit called National Council on Teacher Quality. “When education leaders take shortcuts on teacher certification, it costs everyone, and most of all, it costs students.”

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School Information System

notes on teacher licensing and the taxpayer funded Madison School District