By Aaron Chapin

As a new school year gets under way this month, some Pennsylvania students will be learning what it’s like to be at the front of the classroom.

This is thanks to Educators Rising, a new national initiative to provide an in-school educational program for high school students who are interested in becoming teachers.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) is proud to be the state coordinator for Educators Rising, which is heading into its second year in Pennsylvania. It couldn’t come at a more crucial time.

Pennsylvania is experiencing serious teacher and staff shortages in our public schools. Between 2012-13 and 2022-23, there was a 66% decline in the number of certificates issued to new teachers. That drop has translated into 2,000 classroom teacher vacancies as of last October in public schools across the commonwealth.

We have a crisis-level shortage of educators in Pennsylvania, but the good news is we have no shortage of enthusiastic young people who would make great teachers. That’s why a program like Educators Rising is so needed right now.

Educators Rising is designed to engage high school students who have thought about careers in education and show them what it looks like to be a public school educator.

The program can take the form of a standards-based classroom program in high schools or career and tech centers or as an after-school student club. The key is to reach students in high school and connect them to experienced educators who can answer their questions and help them chart a path forward.

The students who take part get instruction and hands-on experience preparing lessons and teaching students. In the classroom, they will learn about the fundamentals of teaching, things like curriculum, lesson planning, and classroom management.

It is important for students to have the tools they need to engage students meaningfully. Then they have an opportunity to work with a small group of students or even teach a mini-lesson to the full class.

And when a student-led presentation is over, students and their teachers take time to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved for the future.

Educators Rising launched in Pennsylvania last school year with 168 high school students in 15 schools from across the state participating. It has been a resounding success so far.

In April, about 80 students came together for the first ever Educators Rising Conference at Millersville University in Lancaster where they learned about strategies to connect with students in the classroom and what they can expect in their first year in college.

Beyond the important lessons they learn, this program offers something that is so important for a student pursuing a career in education — a mentor.

Teacher mentors are eager to inspire the next generation of educators while also preparing them for the realities of a career in the classroom. And they want to keep that connection going even after the student heads off to college.

The road to becoming a teacher is tough to navigate, from the challenges of college coursework to the difficulties of the certification process. A teacher mentor could be a gamechanger for students who hit roadblocks along the way.

Then once the student graduates and earns their certification, the vision is that they could return to their home school district to interview for a teaching job.

So far, we have seen a diverse group of students take part in Educators Rising. This is an added benefit — and a big one.

Pennsylvania lags most other states in terms of the diversity of our teacher workforce. By giving more students of color the tools they need to explore a career in education at an early age, we not only address teacher shortages but also make our educator workforce more diverse.

We are excited about efforts to expand the program in the coming school year, with the help of a $750,000 grant from the National Education Association (NEA). The more students we reach, the more opportunities they will have to change their lives — and the lives of hundreds of future Pennsylvanians who are going to need some good teachers at the front of their classrooms.

Learn more about Pennsylvania’s Educators Rising program at www.psea.org/educatorsrising.

Aaron Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA). An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, aspiring educators, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.