State Superintendent Announces VDOE Participation in National Teacher Recruitment Campaign
Posted by Bhargav Ram Nara on April 19, 2021, 9:30 AM EDT
RICHMOND — Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane announced Monday that the Virginia Department of Education is participating in a national campaign to celebrate the importance of teachers and promote teaching as a career choice.
At the center of the campaign is “The Future Depends on Teachers,” a series of television and radio public service announcements that will air before, during and after national Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7. The spots celebrate the role of teachers in shaping the future by preparing students for success and invite viewers to consider teaching as a career.
“Increasing the supply, quality and diversity of our teaching force is essential to achieving the department and state Board of Education’s objectives of providing equitable opportunities for all learners and improving outcomes for all students,” Lane said. “Every child deserves to have a qualified and caring teacher for every grade and class, and I believe participation in this national campaign will complement our state initiatives to address the teacher shortage.”
The public service announcements encourage viewers and listeners to visit TEACH.org. The website automatically directs Virginia visitors to a page about teaching in the commonwealth, including information from VDOE on approved teacher preparation programs and requirements for state licensure.
The TV and radio spots were produced by TEACH, a nonprofit created by the U.S. Department of Education and Microsoft. According to TEACH, the public service announcements mark the initial phase of a long-term national recruitment initiative to diversify the teaching profession and address the nation’s teacher shortage.
According to VDOE’s annual report on critical shortage areas, the commonwealth’s 132 school divisions reported the following endorsement areas as the top-10 shortage areas this year: special education, elementary education, middle education, secondary mathematics (including Algebra I), career and technical education, secondary science, foreign language, secondary English, library media, and secondary history and social science.
