Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Tuesday the release of $19 million in grants toward a program to not only decrease the state鈥檚 teacher shortage, but also entice more men into the teaching profession.

The money for the Grow Your Own initiative is allocated in this year鈥檚 budget through the that Moore signed into law this year.

The initiative focuses on expanding teacher and staff pipelines, boosting diversity in the profession and establishing apprenticeships. But Moore emphasized the first round of grants in the Grow Your Own program will focus on bringing in more men to teach in the public schools. According to the governor鈥檚 office, about 23% of the state鈥檚 teachers are men.

Compared to the federal government, which is busy 鈥渃oming up with creative ways to try to dismantle public education,鈥� Maryland is going in a different direction, Moore said. And he had a message for out-of-state educators and fired federal workers: 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淚n Maryland, we鈥檙e just choosing to move differently,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Maryland, we鈥檙e going to work together in order to ensure that education continues to serve as not just the foundation, but the launch pad for everything we hope for in our society.鈥�

State Superintendent , who Moore called 鈥渢he LeBron James of education,鈥� summarized a few education initiatives that cut teacher vacancies nearly in half from 1,619 in the 2024-25 school year to 886 in this year. One of those initiatives is a $2,000 relocation grant to attract out-of-state licensed teachers.

As for the Grow Your Own initiative, Wright said it prioritizes programs that leverage on-the-job training and mentorship and on working to recruit men into the profession.

One of those men who participated in the program, , attended Tuesday鈥檚 announcement.

Before Beard鈥檚 seven years as a high school social studies teacher in Frederick County, he said he worked 10 years as a special education paraprofessional, also called an 鈥淓SP鈥� or education support professionals.

鈥淢y message to ESPs out there: Take advantage of the Grow Your Own program that is out here in our district,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou definitely won鈥檛 regret it, and you won鈥檛 regret your decision.鈥�

Also on Tuesday, the governor announced a partnership between the American Institute for Reseearch and the state鈥檚 Young Men and Boys initiative within the Governor鈥檚 Office of Children.

The partnership will be come through a $6 million, three-year memorandum of understanding under which the institute will provide research, evaluation and technical assistance to the state鈥檚 work on supporting men and boys.

Hagerstown high school senior Damir Wade, 18, who seeks to become a future educator, is also part of the state鈥檚 apprenticeship program. Wade not only supports teachers in the classroom at an elementary school, but he also helps with math intervention with fourth and fifth grade students.

After the nearly 50-minute news conference, Wade said in a brief interview that he鈥檚 had fewer than five male teachers, and no Black male teachers, throughout his school life.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very rare to see,鈥� Wade said about male teachers in the classroom. 鈥淚 just want to be that person that people can look up to, and maybe they can go into education. They can see how important their education is, to take it more seriously [and] to open more doors for their future.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.

Missouri educators will no longer need a 3.0 grade-point average in their subject area to teach in public schools beginning in July, unanimously voted Tuesday.

The threshold to be qualified to teach in the state is now a 2.5 grade-point average in the teacher鈥檚 content area. The only exception will be special-education teachers, who will still be required to meet the 3.0 mark.

Officials with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations say the change is intended to increase the number of certificated teachers coming into public schools. Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said in a statement that the change would remove 鈥渦nnecessary barriers to the teaching profession.鈥�

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鈥淭here is no evidence tying a particular GPA in the content area to more effective teaching,鈥� Daryl Fridley, the department鈥檚 education preparation coordinator, told the board on Tuesday. 鈥淢ost of the non-teaching professional options in sciences, math and history do not require such a high GPA.鈥�

A 3.0 GPA requirement most impacts teachers in STEM subjects, he said. When the department looked at teacher candidates who met other requirements but didn鈥檛 meet the GPA standard, nearly a quarter of those disqualified were in STEM.

Teacher candidates still must pass a performance assessment, with a test of subject knowledge, to be certified. Of those who didn鈥檛 meet the GPA requirements, 90% passed the performance assessment, Fridley said.

The department hopes the new requirements will bring more teachers into the profession. Currently, almost 44% of first-year teachers are certified in Missouri. Over a quarter are serving as a substitute teacher, 6% have no certification and the rest have alternative certifications.

鈥淒iscussions about this issue often include the question, 鈥業sn鈥檛 this a case of lowering standards?鈥欌�� Fridley said. 鈥淲e maintain that with a third of the state鈥檚 first year teachers having no more than a substitute teacher certificate and some with even less, any action that leads to a higher proportion of first-year teachers completing the preparation program is actually a net gain for the overall quality of teachers.鈥�

In the midst of low teacher retention rates and poor recruitment, the change is welcome, the department reiterated.

鈥淏oth quantity and quality of teachers are really important to the learning of students,鈥� Paul Katnik, assistant commissioner of educator quality, said during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting.

The department reiterated that it doesn鈥檛 believe the lower GPA threshold will affect teacher quality.

A showed that there was no improvement in achievement outcomes between a 2.5 GPA and 2.75 GPA requirement. Increasing the threshold to 3.0 excluded 44% of education students and brought a small increase on teachers鈥� evaluations. The study concludes a 鈥渉igher GPA criteria would also have minimal impact on the quality of our nation鈥檚 teachers.鈥�

Carol Hallquist, vice president of the State Board of Education, said she was initially wary of lowering the GPA standard but is now 鈥渢otally supportive.鈥�

鈥淲hen I reached out to principals and people who are in teacher preparation programs, they said there was no correlation and were very supportive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey also said that you have to pass licensing tests, and that is really what we want to look at.鈥�

Doug Hayter, executive director of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, told The Independent he has been speaking to the department about the GPA requirements and is optimistic.

鈥淭here is a balance where we need to have requirements that mean something, but the research that they have seems to indicate that this change would not have a substantial impact on teacher effectiveness,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s long as that鈥檚 the case, we want to give educators as many options as possible in a world where there鈥檚 still a lot of open positions in regard to public education.鈥�

Further helping open doors for new teachers is the reinstatement of a general science certification for high school educators. The department has required science teachers to specialize in an area, like chemistry or biology, but now will bring back a certification for generalists with a broader knowledge base.

鈥淭he reinstatement of this general science certificate will create opportunities for more students to choose to be science teachers, not by lowering standards, but instead by creating a path in which the standards are more aligned with the needs of schools,鈥� Fridley said.

Hayter expects the change to impact districts statewide, saying that 鈥渆very little bit helps鈥� to recruit teachers.

鈥淭his is one small part of a bigger picture of making sure that we have very effective educators in our classrooms moving forward,鈥� he said.

The 鈥渂igger picture,鈥� Hayter said, includes boosting teacher pay and making schools welcoming for educators.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� An attempt by the Oklahoma State Department of Education to claw back teacher bonuses has raised new questions in the state Legislature over the agency鈥檚 handling of taxpayer funds.

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said teachers shouldn鈥檛 be forced to pay back the bonuses if the state had mistakenly paid them. The Senate Education Committee leader told reporters on Tuesday it would be unfair and could diminish trust in other teacher incentive programs.

Pugh said the situation 鈥渨ill raise additional questions鈥� as lawmakers consider the state Education Department鈥檚 budget, including the agency鈥檚 request to expand teacher bonus initiatives.

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鈥淚 think it is fair for my colleagues to now have a little bit of suspicion when we鈥檙e getting asked, sometimes in the hundreds of millions of dollars, to implement new programs,鈥� Pugh said.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters said some teachers were untruthful when they applied for , which he created last year.

He then blamed the news media for reporting 鈥減rematurely鈥� on the program while his agency is still verifying applicants鈥� eligibility, according to a letter he sent to the state Legislature on Monday.

More than 500 teachers were approved for bonuses of $15,000 to $50,000, and they started receiving their payments in the fall. This month, the agency identified certain teachers that it said didn鈥檛 meet the program鈥檚 criteria and demanded they return the funds.

Walters鈥� letter also acknowledges other teachers had been underpaid, though he didn鈥檛 say how many.

鈥淭hese teachers will be receiving additional bonus funds commensurate with their qualifications,鈥� he wrote.

The program offered high-dollar signing bonuses to attract new teachers to the state or encourage them to return to the classroom after having left for other professions. Teachers who worked in a public school the year before were not eligible for the program.

Recipients pledged to work five years in an Oklahoma public school district.

One teacher, Kay Bojorquez, said her application was approved and was awarded $50,000 in October. She took home about $30,000 after taxes.

Then, she received a letter on Jan. 13 demanding she repay the full $50,000 because the state agency had discovered she was never eligible.

Bojorquez, an Osage County special education teacher with Epic Charter Schools, filed a lawsuit on Monday against the state Department of Education, contending an agency error shouldn鈥檛 force her to return the funds. Her lawsuit states it would be financially impossible for her to pay it back in full.

She also sued Walters for defamation over his claim that she had lied on her application.

Her attorney, Mark Hammons, said Bojorquez was 鈥渃andid and honest in all the information she supplied,鈥� including her work history.

鈥淎s far as she knew, she met the qualifications they set out. They approved that and then applied a clawback,鈥� Hammons said. 鈥淭hat is unreasonable and defamatory to claim that she was dishonest.鈥�

Eight other teachers also received demands for repayment after the state agency overpaid at least $290,000 in signing bonuses, according to .

Pugh and other state lawmakers have said the Education Department should bear the cost of its own mistake.

鈥淎 teacher got a $50,000 bonus,鈥� Pugh said. 鈥淎fter taxes, they took home $29,000, and now the heavy hand of government is going to ask them to pay back $50,000. That鈥檚 a great deal for government. But what a shame for us to run an agency that way, or what a shame for us to run a state that way.鈥�

The agency paid the bonuses with special education funds from the federal government.

Walters called the program 鈥渢he most successful teacher recruitment initiative in state history鈥� because it attracted more than 500 teachers.

He suggested the Legislature spend $10 million in state funds on a similar teacher recruitment program and $22 million in bonuses for educators whose students show growth in reading and math.

However, the structure of such a program and the agency鈥檚 verification process have come under scrutiny from lawmakers. The head of the House education funding committee, Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, said he encouraged the agency to implement better controls before distributing money.

Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, urged the Education Department to reconsider its internal process and 鈥渇ind a better solution for the teachers that received the bonus in error.鈥�

鈥淎s a former teacher, I cannot imagine the anxiety something like this would induce 鈥� to be deemed eligible and to receive a large bonus in my bank account, only to be told months later I must return it,鈥� Baker said in a statement Friday. 鈥淚t was up to the State Department of Education to provide proper oversight in the vetting and approval of the bonus recipients.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

The University of Texas at El Paso鈥檚 College of Education plans to launch a social media campaign next week focused on the impact teachers have on children. Its goal is to interest and inspire more high school students to consider a K-12 teaching career.

The college鈥檚 leaders knew they needed to promote the profession after the pandemic, which generated a lot of stress and anxiety among teachers because of health, safety, social, emotional and technological issues. That unease affected relationships among colleagues, students and their families, and led to burnout and decisions to leave the profession.

鈥淚 hope this campaign will change the narrative,鈥� said Clifton Tanabe, who marked his five-year anniversary as dean on July 1.

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Tanabe said COVID-19 negatively affected the college鈥檚 recruiting, and the number of UTEP鈥檚 education graduates dipped. He hoped the campaign, which starts Monday and includes a , would alert prospective students to how fun, exciting and important it can be to work as a K-12 teacher and, hopefully, prepare for that future at UTEP.

However, the enrollment problem went beyond UTEP and COVID. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education stated that U.S. colleges awarded fewer than 90,000 undergraduate degrees in education in 2019 compared to 200,000 a year in the early 1970s. The study also found that from 2012 to 2022, the number of people who completed a traditional teacher preparation program fell by 35%. Another key figure is that students who earn science or mathematics degrees have fallen by 27%.

Tanabe said that the numbers of UTEP students who earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees in education consistently fell during the eight years prior to his arrival, but had settled to about 200 graduates annually. The numbers started to go up but then COVID brought them back down to pre-pandemic levels. He anticipated that the bilingual campaign, which ends in December, would trigger at least a 50% increase in a few years.

Raiz Federal Credit Union provided financial and creative support of the project. Raiz hired El Paso-based CultureSpan Marketing to produce a 30-second commercial and three 15-second advertisements that will be delivered to audiences through Twitch, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, social media platforms that cater to teenagers and their friends and family.

Mike Matthews, CultureSpan president and chief creative officer, said that the videos address the profession鈥檚 rewards and challenges, and incorporate the human element behind the decision to become a teacher. He expected the message to resonate with viewers.

The 30-second spot involves four borderland educators who imagine their lives as teachers while a voiceover talks about what it takes to be a teacher and ends the commercial with a challenge.

鈥淭he journey isn鈥檛 for everyone, but it can be for you,鈥� the narrator said.

One of the actors was El Paso native Dulce Falcon, a 2010 Del Valle High School graduate who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in education from UTEP this past May. The former Miner Teacher Residency Program participant said that the video shoot was fun because it allowed her to reflect on her seven-year journey to become a teacher.

The 31-year-old mother of four said she hoped her participation would inspire and motivate others to follow their dreams and to not give up. She called her higher education journey hard and expensive, but worth it.

Falcon, the third featured actor in the video, recalled how the director instructed her to pretend to be excited because she was thinking about something important that she wanted. She just thought of herself as a teacher.

鈥淭hat was easy for me because I really was excited,鈥� said Falcon, whose first day as a fourth-grade teacher at Desert Hills Elementary School was July 11. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 pretending. Those actually were my emotions.鈥�

As part of the campaign, CultureSpan will track the data to learn where the message succeeds and where it needs to be tweaked. The team also will compile the information from those interactions to create a better digital profile of students who might want to become an education major.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 really going to benefit UTEP鈥檚 College of Education to really get a deep dive understanding of where these potential students are and help to cultivate them at an early stage, and to notice when there鈥檚 that want or desire to become an educator, and just really stoke those flames,鈥� Matthews said during a Zoom interview.

Susana Aguirre, the college鈥檚 director of strategic engagement and planning, said the campaign wants to reach those who might want to become a teacher, or any job in the education field to include learning coach, counselor or administrator.

Starting salaries for first-year teachers in the El Paso region range from $50,000 to $60,000 and could be augmented with bonuses and stipends based on what and where the person teaches.

鈥淲e know that (teenagers) are not always sure about what they want to do,鈥� said Aguirre, the project鈥檚 lead coordinator. 鈥淭hey are not sure if teaching is the correct field for them so targeting those that have that passion will help them make the right decision.鈥�

Alejandro Yu, Raiz vice president of marketing, said his company understands the critical role teachers play in the region鈥檚 success. He hoped the campaign would attract more people to want to earn an education degree from UTEP and add to its legacy.

鈥淭his partnership is a crucial way to help others to find their purpose,鈥� Yu said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Whether he鈥檚 hopping on the or filming a , Schexnaydre uses TikTok to improve school culture at Harry Hurst Middle School as students recover from pandemic learning loss.

With over 2 million views, , Schexnaydre has been able to leverage his social media presence to build trust with students.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 academics, test scores or mental health, your initiatives will not work unless the school culture is right,鈥� Schexnaydre told 蜜桃影视.

Schexnaydre鈥檚 strategy has not only strengthened his connection with his students, but has also helped him retain and recruit new teachers.

With a 95% teacher retention rate, Schexnaydre鈥檚 TikTok videos have created a positive learning environment for the 107 faculty members at Harry Hurst Middle School.

However, when there are vacancies, Schexnaydre often uses his social media presence as a way to entice prospective teachers.

Schexnaydre said his TikTok often became the 鈥渃onversation starter,鈥� noting that his videos engaging with students and faculty give applicants a clear picture of the school community they鈥檇 be joining. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a good tool for us,鈥� Schexnaydre said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had really good applicants where four or five schools want them but they pick us because they saw our TikTok and how great of a school we are.鈥�

You never know what you might see on a Friday at

Katie Martinez, a 7th grade English teacher at Harry Hurst Middle School, said teachers rarely ever leave.

鈥淗e’s definitely a fun boss and just fabulous all the way around,鈥� Martinez told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淗e even involves the teachers in his TikToks and really brings together this school culture and community that people want to come work at.鈥�

Martinez noted how much her students adore Schexnaydre鈥檚 TikTok videos.

鈥淚t might seem like a silly thing and it might seem like no one cares, but the buy-in from the kids is monumental and it means the world to them,鈥� Martinez said. 

鈥淭hey idolize David because he takes the time to figure out what’s important to them and it makes them more willing to do what’s important to him.鈥�

Martinez also said Schexnaydre鈥檚 initiatives show how useful TikTok can be in schools.

鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a way to use TikTok effectively and David has shown that it can grow a positive school culture among students and faculty,鈥� Martinez said.

Brandy Dufrene, a 6th grade science teacher at Harry Hurst Middle School, agreed with Martinez.

鈥淓specially in the middle school environment, students already think their teachers aren鈥檛 cool and we don鈥檛 understand them at the social-emotional level,鈥� Dufrene told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淪o I feel like if we can relate to them and build those relationships through their interests, TikTok can be helpful.鈥�

Jenny Bouler, the parent of a 6th grade student at Harry Hurst Middle School, supports Schexnaydre鈥檚 TikTok presence as a way to connect with students.

Bouler said Schexnaydre鈥檚 TikTok video by chasing after one he tossed in the air is one of many examples of the positive effect it can have on students.

鈥淢y initial thought was that it was brilliant and he鈥檚 a very creative principal,鈥� Bouler told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淗e brings topics that can be a little bit bland or dry or boring and really puts a spin on them that catches the kids attention and gets them more engaged.鈥�

Did a technology PSA on morning announcements this week

Jane Chauvin, the parent of a 7th grade student at Harry Hurst Middle School, agreed with Bouler.

鈥淎re there things on TikTok that are inappropriate for children? Absolutely. But our kids are smart and canny and denying access will make them want to use it more,鈥� Chauvin told 蜜桃影视.

Chauvin said Schexnaydre鈥檚 TikTok videos, such as his , reflects how other school administrators should approach the social media platform.

鈥淗is videos help him connect with our students in this digital world,鈥� Chauvin said. 鈥淥ur kids need to know that their teachers and administrators know what鈥檚 relevant to them.鈥�

Students get innovative when they forget their IDs!!!

Schexnaydre believes having access to TikTok is ultimately up to students鈥� parents.

鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to encourage students to make a TikTok, but a lot of them have it already,鈥� Schexnaydre said. 鈥淪o if you really want to reach people you have to go where they are, and that’s where our kids are.鈥�

Because of the overwhelmingly positive response, Schexnaydre said he has more TikTok ideas in the works.

鈥淛ust being able to do that extra little thing has made such a big difference,鈥� Schexnaydre said. 鈥淎nd if I can get the kids to be happy and excited to come to school on a Monday morning, the proof is in the pudding.鈥�

Across the country, schools serving predominantly Black students have 5 percent than schools with fewer Black students, according to analysis from education advocacy nonprofit The Education Trust.

In a quarter of states, gaps are even wider: Predominantly Black schools have at least twice as many novice teachers as schools serving the fewest.

In two particularly egregious cases, researchers found in Mississippi, a quarter of Black students attended schools with high percentages of novice teachers, compared to just 7 percent of non-Black students. And in Louisiana, one in three Black students attend schools with high percentages of inexperienced teachers.

鈥淥ur findings reveal that our education system is failing Black students, as they find themselves more likely than any other group of students to be in classrooms with teachers who are in their first years of teaching or teachers who are uncertified,” the focused on Black and Latino students separately, stated.

Little progress in efforts to retain teachers in these schools has been made since federal data showed similar disparities in 2014 鈥� so stark then that the . 

Novice teachers said they leave their posts because they receive little training or mentoring. As a result, students could go years without an experienced educator 鈥� the .

Gaps in access to quality teachers can have long-term consequences on students鈥� . 

Without action, the churn of inexperienced teachers will have long-term, negative impacts on students of color at a rate not experienced by their peers in predominantly white schools, Education Trust researchers said. 

鈥�…The pattern of Black and Latino students getting assigned to brand new teachers year after year after year 鈥� attending schools with a majority of teachers who haven’t had the time to master their craft and need more support 鈥� is at its heart a racial justice issue,鈥� said Sarah Mehrotra, who co-authored the .

鈥淚f we care about equity in education, we have to pay attention to who is teaching our Black and Brown students, and what we can be doing differently to support them,鈥� she said.

In 32 states, there are more first-year teachers in schools serving the most Latino students. Three 鈥� Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Washington 鈥� have the biggest gaps, with Latino students at least twice as likely to have a novice teacher.

In Massachusetts, access to certified teachers is particularly inequitable: 29 percent of Latino students attend schools with high percentages of uncertified teachers, compared to just 12 percent of their peers. 

The findings bring states鈥� commitment to teacher development into question at a time when many face educator shortages and allocate billions in pandemic relief aid to accelerate learning.

鈥淭his disparity鈥� means that groups of students are missing out, by no fault of their own, on the critical learning opportunities necessary to prepare them for success in college and/or the workforce,鈥� the reports stated, analyzing the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection.

In the predominantly Black and Latino schools analyzed, where there are fewer experienced educators, teachers of color are 鈥渙ver-represented鈥� and have higher turnover rates than their peers 鈥� a 鈥渄isruption鈥� for students and communities, Mehrotra said. 

Teachers of color experience 鈥渁ntagonistic school culture, [are] deprived of agency/autonomy, navigating unfavorable working conditions and carrying an 鈥渋nvisible tax鈥� 鈥� the extra work they take on (being a translator for families, being a disciplinarian) without additional compensation,鈥� she added. Vacancies are filled by substitutes or novice teachers. 

One New Orleans teacher told the Education Trust: 鈥淭he teaching profession was built on altruism, and many folks have taken advantage of this to bring in teachers on lower salaries.鈥�

Though 2020-21 data is not available, Mehrotra predicted schools serving predominantly low-income students and students of color, where teachers double as counselors or manage larger classes, 鈥渁re bearing the brunt of these pandemic related exits, teacher burnout and these alarming shortages.鈥� 

Stronger statewide data systems 鈥� to track teacher departures, demographic data and professional development opportunities 鈥� tops the reports鈥� policy recommendations to retain experienced teachers for students of color.

Researchers say while there are bright spots like 鈥� where new teachers enter a three-year mentorship program and can access loan forgiveness for working in high-needs schools 鈥� the problem and its solutions have been widespread and well-known.

 鈥淲e could have predicted the data in a lot of ways,鈥� Education Trust researcher Eric Duncan said, adding the have persisted for years. States and districts must double down on their commitment to engage teachers directly to, 鈥済o a little bit more under the hood and say, ?鈥�

Further recommendations from the reports include investing in mentorship, and grow-your-own programs; incentivizing work in high-need schools and subjects; and hiring earlier in high-turnover districts.

Disclosure: Marianna McMurdock was an intern at the Education Trust-West in the summer of 2020.