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WEST CHESTER, PA (May 3, 2024) – In testimony before the state House Education Committee today, a top policy expert with the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) described the forward-thinking approaches PSEA is employing to develop programs to address crisis-level staff shortages in Pennsylvania’s public schools.
Dr. Carla Claycomb, PSEA’s education services manager, testified that PSEA is taking a leading role in encouraging high school students to become educators, advocating for stipends to support student teachers during their 12-week student teaching placements, and expanding “grow your own” programs to help support current school staff and others become teachers. (Find Claycomb’s testimony at www.psea.org/testimony.)
“PSEA continues to expand our own organizational commitment to and strategic investments in programs that support recruiting, retaining, and sustaining an expanded universe of educators – particularly one that is more diverse and ideally connected to the community of the school in which they will teach,” Claycomb said.
Claycomb outlined PSEA’s role as the state coordinator for the Educators Rising program, an initiative that encourages high school students to pursue careers as educators by sharing information and ideas about what it looks like to be a public school educator. Educators Rising offers a comprehensive standards-based secondary curriculum and career-based student club model to attract high school students to careers in education, sustain and grow educator quality, and increase educator diversity.
Within just the first year, PSEA has helped to establish Educators Rising programs in 12 schools or school districts, involving 164 high school students and 32 teacher mentors. (Find more information about the Educators Rising program at www.psea.org/educatorsrising.)
“PSEA strongly believes that by working in collaboration with our members, school communities, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and other statewide stakeholders, Educators Rising has the potential to greatly increase the number and diversity of high school students entering teacher preparation programs in the commonwealth for years to come,” Claycomb said.
Claycomb added that PSEA continues to work closely with lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro to expand the student teacher stipend program, which was funded at $10 million in the FY 2023-24 state budget, and “grow your own” programs, which Gov. Shapiro has proposed funding at $10 million in the FY 2024-25 state budget.
“We are active participants on the Committee on Educator Talent Recruitment, helping to develop the Program of Study for Education, including our effort to attain career and technical student organization status for Educators Rising in Pennsylvania,” Claycomb said. “And we strongly advocate for increased investments in the pipeline, including student teacher stipends and the $10 million proposed for FY 2024-25 by Gov. Shapiro for the Talent Recruitment Account established by Act 55.”
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.
