Teachers in training: Hope for jobs lures students

San Bernardino Sun 12/23/06

By Charlotte Hsu

With a wave of teacher retirements expected and a new law calling for smaller classes in low-performing schools, there will be more jobs available for teachers in California now and in the near future.

The plethora of new jobs is likely to create greater interest in the teaching profession, said Patricia Arlin, dean of Cal State San Bernardino's College of Education.

After two years of declining enrollment, credentialing programs at the university are planning for more students as statewide demand for teachers rises.

The decline occurred despite a continued teacher shortage in San Bernardino County, largely in the fields of math, science and special education.

The shortage has persisted because college students who major in math or science are more likely to pursue careers in the business world, where they can make double or triple the amount of money they'd be taking in as an early-career teacher, Arlin said.

In San Bernardino County, about 9 percent of math and science teachers and 14 percent of special-education teachers are unprepared, compared to just 4 percent of elementary-level educators, according to research conducted by SIR International for the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.

The mid-1990s saw a spike in enrollment for teacher credentialing programs statewide, including at Cal State San Bernardino, after the state initiated a program to reduces class sizes in kindergarten through third grade.

Teachers hurrying to become fully credentialed to meet new federal requirements also contributed to the enrollment spike.

Nearly one-third of California teachers are expected to retire in the next decade, according to a study by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning released this month. That, paired with the passage of Senate Bill 1113, which gives money to low-achieving schools that provide small classes, will add to the need for teachers.

With the outlook for the educator work force in mind, Arlin's college is actively recruiting candidates.

Preparation programs at Cal State San Bernardino and other local institutions have grown in importance as other states experience teacher shortages.

Linda Whitaker, president of the San Bernardino Teachers Association, said officials in the San Bernardino City Unified School District used to hunt for new teachers in other parts of the country.

"Now it's a national shortage so we don't go out of state," she said.

About 90 percent of students who finish Cal State San Bernardino's credentialing program teach in San Bernardino or Riverside counties, Arlin said.