It appears there is a shortage of teachers across the nation. Movement of teachers between school districts in a State happens. However, not a lot of teachers cross state boundaries. Why? Apparently each state has their own teaching standards. What is approved in one State to get a certificate may be enough different that an experienced teacher may need to take new classes and/or undergo a student teacher training period.
What if licensed teachers could transfer to other states and step right into a teaching job that they’ve already qualified for and have proven they are competent in without penalties or delays? About 14% of people move every year. The average person moves over 11 times in their lifetime. If the predominant wage earner transfers for a job or family needs facilitate relocation then the spouse may need to find a new job as well.
Where do people move from and to? Here’s a chart that shows the 2016-17 time frame and the percent of people who move from one State to another:
In our area of the US (Pacific Northwest) you can see that we get ~9% influx. That puts us near the top of the nation. So why not make it as easy as possible for teachers moving into our area to step into teaching roles rather than having to spend time and money re-proving who they are and what they have done?
You may be interested in reading the article at The Hill in which Dan Goldhaber (the director of the Center for Education Data and Research (CEDR) at the University of Washington) and Cyrus Grout (a research consultant at CEDR) share their thoughts on the topic.
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