Then, they work on getting their certification if they want to stay. We want them in every room. It's that important. But they're not out there. They realize early on that they'll make a lot more money working in engineering or medicine.
Special education is a little different, officials say.
There, teachers will fill positions just to get a foot in the door only to transfer to a regular education classroom once they gain seniority. Vickers said more areas of special education that have been identified over the past 10 years and new federal guidelines are contributing to the demand for teachers. At West Virginia universities and colleges, an overwhelming majority of education students graduate with elementary education specializations and end up leaving the state. Of the 1,300 education graduates last year, only 300 were hired in the state. Thirty-seven majored in physical education.