Quality vs. quantity In other areas, the state's teacher supply is ample. It's a question of quality. What we're talking about is a shortage of people who are well-educated and have the skills to teach. Such teachers gravitate toward more affluent school districts, which typically offer higher salaries, more classroom resources and fewer social problems, he says. Recruitment of new teachers In a first, the Chicago administration is taking its case to some of the country's most prestigious teacher preparation programs.
Companies know they have to go out and make their case to the best and brightest talent available.
That's exactly where we're doing with this campaign. However, Martin Haberman, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor who has specialized in urban teaching issues, contends that schools need to pay more attention to the character and maturity of applicants than to their college credentials. Teachers for Chicago, a program that helps mid-life career changers acquire teaching certificates and master's degrees in education, uses Haberman's interview process to screen applicants. That, along with in-school mentoring, has resulted in an 85 percent retention rate, reports Frank Tobin, the program's recruitment coordinator. Retention of new teachers Tozer says that, in contrast, the retention rate among other teachers new to the Chicago public schools is 50 percent to 60 percent in their first five years.