Education Conference at WSU to Address Teacher Shortage

OGDEN, Utah – Education leaders from across Utah will gather at Weber State University Oct. 8-9 to examine the causes of teacher shortages in Utah and nationwide, and discuss strategies to change perceptions about the teaching profession.

“Celebrating the Outstanding Teachers of Today and Ensuring Quality Teachers for Tomorrow” is the theme of this year’s Utah Council of Education Deans’ annual conference.

Teacher shortages are a growing concern for school districts across the nation, including Utah.

“We’re hearing from our districts across the state, that in some cases, there aren’t enough university graduates to fill all the teaching vacancies,” said Jack Rasmussen, dean of WSU’s Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education.

In addition to looking at the causes of teacher shortages statewide, the conference also will discuss strategies to increase the number of individuals pursuing teaching careers.

Rasmussen said political rhetoric and national media coverage, portraying the nation’s school systems in an unfavorable light, may be hurting the public’s perceptions about the teaching profession and contributing to the teaching shortage.

“The issues being discussed at this conference weigh on the minds of deans of education across our state,” Rasmussen said. “We want prospective educators in Utah to know that education is a rewarding professional career.”

The two-day conference will kick off Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. with a keynote address by Francesca M. Forzani, associate director of TeachingWorks. Housed at the University of Michigan, TeachingWorks is an organization that strives to ensure teachers receive the necessary preparation, skills and knowledge to be effective instructors on the first day they enter the classroom.

The conference will continue Oct. 9 at 9 a.m. with a discussion of teacher supply and demand, featuring remarks from Prosperity 2020 Chair Alan Hall. The conference will continue with breakout sessions examining challenges to recruitment and retention of teachers, ways to combat misperceptions about the profession, and challenges to hiring teachers in certain subjects, such as math, science and special education.

The conference will be attended by Rasmussen’s counterparts from the other nine colleges and universities in the state that graduate teachers. Teacher education faculty from across Utah, school superintendents and administrators, representatives of the State Office of Education and Board of Regents also will be in attendance.

“With the right people in the room, we can make an action plan,” Rasmussen said.  He is confident that the conference will produce sustainable strategies for ongoing recruitment of quality teachers for the state of Utah.

“Education is important to our children and the health of the state,” Rasmussen said. “Quality teachers are the most important factor for providing quality education.”

For more information about the conference, visit weber.edu/COE/UCED.html.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Author:

Ashlee Cawley, office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7348 • ahess@weber.edu

Contact:

Jack Rasmussen, Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education dean
801-626-6273 • jrasmussen@weber.edu