West Virginia Department of Education addresses challenges raised by the Educator Preparation Taskforce with support from R5CC.
In 2020, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) announced an Educator Preparation Taskforce (EPT) to identify and combat challenges to retaining and attracting teachers to work in the state. R5CC staff helped facilitate the EPT by designing an implementation plan, planning with and coaching subcommittee facilitators, and drafting a final report. The EPT identified five specific challenges of primary concern: the lack of a robust multi-channel marketing campaign; high costs associated with teacher preparation and licensure; barriers created by licensure testing and content-hour requirements; beginning teachers’ lack of access to consistently high-quality induction and mentoring programs; and a lack of a comprehensive, single platform to deliver data on teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention. After drafting the report, WVDE focused on “spreading the word” as discussed in West Virginia teacher shortage being taken on by new task force through the WV Department of Education | State Journal News | wvnews.com
“The R5CC staff was instrumental in facilitating the Educator Preparation Taskforce (EPT) and drafting the final report.” –SEA staff
