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This story is part of our SPOTLIGHT series focusing on the state of education in Missouri. Read more here.

Growing up in Haiti, Yves Conseant said he wanted to be an educator his whole life. He vividly remembers one day in the sixth grade when his teacher was absent and there was no substitute. So, he decided to take over.

鈥淚 (stood) in front of the class, and we kept it quiet,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e acted so good because we loved our teacher. And my principal at the school at the time saw that 鈥� and she said, 鈥榃ow, you’re going to be a teacher.鈥欌��

Conseant had already taught for years in his native Haiti, the neighboring Dominican Republic and New Orleans when he moved to Missouri to teach Spanish and French. His international diploma allowed him to teach pre-K through 8th grade, he said, but wanting to move to a high school, he enrolled in an alternative certification program.

This allowed him to work full time at a school, while also attending courses and receiving support from a mentor and advisor 鈥� an option that worked particularly well for him because of his previous years of experience. 

In this way, Conseant embodies a larger shift in the landscape of Missouri teachers: show a majority of those new to the classroom no longer complete 鈥渁 comprehensive and traditional teacher educator preparation program鈥� with over 40% teaching with no certification, a substitute license or through an alternative certification route.

In a report released this spring entitled 鈥淭he Fragility of the Missouri Teaching Workforce,鈥� the advocacy organization , similarly found that over the past decade the number of teachers in Missouri classrooms has remained relatively stable, yet the qualifications of the people filling those roles had changed, with far fewer entering schools fully certified and far more relying on temporary or early-career credentials.

Experts and advocates fear this trend could significantly dilute the quality of teaching for Missouri鈥檚 students.

鈥淲e know that teacher preparation matters a lot. Teachers are more effective 鈥� they stick around longer 鈥� when they are better prepared,鈥� said Hannah Putman, managing director of research at the National Council on Teacher Quality. 鈥淲e also know that the students who tend to have the least experienced and the least well-prepared teachers tend to be students of color, students living in poverty.鈥�

鈥淪o when we see a large share of teachers going into the classroom without strong preparation,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hat is a red flag because it鈥檚 not good for students in general. It鈥檚 not good for teachers. But we also know it鈥檚 going to widen educational inequity.鈥�

Elementary and middle school students in Missouri performed on par with the nation鈥檚 average for both math and reading, according to the most recent also known as the Nation鈥檚 Report Card. Across all categories, though, Black students lagged significantly behind their white peers. In 8th-grade math, these disparities were among the nation鈥檚 largest.

Others argue alternative certification programs, which often allow people to begin teaching before completing coursework, are a necessary and creative way to fill vacant positions. They can also provide an opportunity for those already working in schools in other roles 鈥� such as paraprofessionals or teacher鈥檚 aides 鈥� to become certified. 

And not all non-traditional licenses are created equally, said Chanua Ross, director of program operations at the University of Missouri 鈥� Saint Louis鈥� College of Education, the school where Conseant earned his certification.

For example, teachers in the programs she oversees are immediately in front of a classroom full time, but must also simultaneously attend at least two years of online higher education courses as well as pass certification exams and engage in ongoing mentoring. , on the other hand, merely requires an online application and a background check.

In 2015, nearly all (97%) teachers across the state held a professional or lifetime certification; by 2024 that number had plummeted to just above 81% 鈥� representing a loss of nearly 7,000 teachers, according to the At the same time, the number of teachers working under substitute certifications increased tenfold, from 157 to 1,622. And those teachers on early-career certifications grew fivefold, while the percentage of more mid-career teachers steadily fell.

Many educators who go through alternative certifications are going to be effective, said Tuan Nguyen, associate professor of education policy and analysis, at the University of Missouri, but 鈥渙n average, what we see is that teachers who go through these alternative routes tend to leave the profession at a much higher rate. They are much more likely to leave their current schools, much more likely to leave the district and much more likely to leave the teaching profession.鈥� And those teaching on substitute or emergency teaching licenses leave at an even higher rate, he added.

A confluence of factors have led to this point, researchers and advocates said, including poor teaching conditions; particularly high teacher turnover following the pandemic 鈥� though that has begun to stabilize; an all-time high level of teacher dissatisfaction and low pay.

Historically, the average starting teaching salary in Missouri was just above with only one state 鈥� Montana 鈥� paying new teachers less. That recently changed, when in 2024, the Missouri legislature passed that, among other actions, raised the minimum teacher salary from $25,000 to $40,000, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. 

Yet Missouri remains ranked as 49th in the nation for new teacher pay and the improved starting salary still lags by nearly $20,000 the state鈥檚 minimum living wage of . In comparison, the average public school teacher salary nationally for the 2024-25 school year was about

And, the state funding that helps districts cover this increased pay isn’t guaranteed and must be appropriated each year, leaving the change amounts to an empty promise or one that would ultimately drain local school coffers.

Aligned鈥檚 founding president and CEO Torree Pederson noted that when teaching as a career does not feel all that attractive, 鈥渁t the end of the day, it really boils down to just trying to get a warm body in the room.鈥� 

Nguyen echoed the sentiment: 鈥淲hen you get to the point where your concern isn鈥檛, 鈥業s this an effective teacher?鈥� But, 鈥楧o I have enough people to be in front of the classroom?鈥� your problems are a lot worse.鈥�

This is not an issue unique to Missouri. As of 2026, nearly 388,000 teachers nationwide were not fully certified for their teaching assignments, and across 29 states and D.C., just under 37,600 teaching positions remained completely unfilled, according to a report by the Based on these numbers, researchers there estimate that about 1-in-8 teaching positions nationally were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments. And this is the third consecutive year the organization has documented increases.

Ross, of University of Missouri 鈥� Saint Louis, said the current landscape is exactly why alternative certification programs like the one she oversees are necessary.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e waiting on all these traditional people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not coming.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 more than one pathway to becoming a great educator,鈥� Ross added, and in her programs she said, 鈥淲e are heavily wrapping our arms around (teachers) to help them through the training process.鈥�

While Conseant said he loves his current school and the opportunities the alternative certification process afforded him, he still has great concerns about the teaching profession at large 鈥� both in Missouri and nationally.

When asked why his state is struggling to keep teachers in the classroom, Conseant pointed to the need for a better disciplinary code for students; more financial resources so teachers don鈥檛 have to buy their own supplies; increased pay and respect; and stronger support from administrators. 

Right now, he said, teachers have to do it all. 鈥淪o you burn out by November.鈥�

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