The number of vacant teaching positions across S.C. grows each year (1,849 at the beginning of this school year, up almost 40% since 2013), in part because the student population continues to increase (up by almost 30,000 since 2013).

GVL is not immune to these shortage trends, particularly in subjects like math, science, foreign language, and special education. So what can we do about it?

Greenville County Schools have committed to the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, which focuses on preparing every high school graduate for success in college, career, and citizenship. This goal mirrors the mission of local organization, Public Education Partners (PEP), who have launched Teach864.

Teach864 focuses on recruitment, retention, and advancement of teachers, while elevating + celebrating the teaching profession in Greenville.

In 2017, State Superintendent Molly Spearman convened an Educator Retention and Recruitment Committee to review current research, best practices, and received input from teachers in our state. Public Education Partners also provided input and recommendations to this Committee.

The Committee submitted a report to the legislature that included 29 practical recommendations and urged that they be implemented quickly.

These recommendations – from rebranding teaching through marketing, to salary increases, to housing incentives, to more teacher mentors – reveal that the teacher shortage is a symptom of a deeper, systemic issue pertaining to the degree to which teaching is considered and supported as a profession.

Since our founding in 1985 as the Alliance for Quality Education, PEP has fostered local public/private partnerships to introduce innovative educational solutions, and to position the community as informed advocates to bust systemic barriers getting in the way of student achievement. Knowing the critical role K-12 public education plays in Greenville’s health and prosperity, PEP champions high-quality, public education in Greenville County while leveraging its autonomy from the school system to engage the Greenville community as investors in public education.

In relation to the teacher shortage, PEP’s goal is for Greenville to be known as Teacher Town, USA. Silicon Valley is the mecca and destination for technology startups and entrepreneurs. Wall Street is the mecca and destination for banking. PEP envisions Greenville as the mecca, magnet, and destination for the country’s greatest teacher talent. Therefore, we’ve begun to ask what needs to be in place at the school, policy and community levels for Greenville to be Teacher Town, USA.

Focus of Teach864:

🍎 Open pathways into teaching: The Greenville Alternative Teacher Education program (a 3-year program working to provide a pathway into teaching + preparation for teachers) is the first district-based alternative certification program for middle and high school math, science + foreign language teachers in SC.

🍎 Seed innovation in the classroom to support teacher creativity: Building STEAM grants are offered to teachers so that they may create projects that engage students in creativity while also exposing them to the collaborative, problem-solving essence of engineering, and innovation through science, technology + mathematics.

🍎 Advocate for teacher recruitment + retention – Higher overall teacher salaries make a profession more competitive, attractive and reflect our community’s value in teachers. Our community must be equipped with the knowledge and data underlying such topics as the teacher shortage, school spending, school funding and the link between education and economic prosperity.

🍎 Market the teaching profession: #Teach864 is a campaign to celebrate and elevate teachers. Launched at #Teach864 Night at Fluor Field with nearly 1,300 teachers in attendance, #Teach864 is now visible on billboards across Greenville + social media.

But that’s not all, these programs are just the beginning of the Teach864 movement. PEP is currently exploring additional strategies to elevate the profession, including teacher housing, new teacher leadership opportunities, and bringing together K-12 and institutions of higher education to promote the teaching profession.

So for now we ask:

1) The next time you meet a teacher, thank her/him

2) If you snap a good, teacher-related picture, use #Teach864 for a chance to see your picture on Greenville’s digital billboards.

– Heather

Thanks to everyone at Public Education Partners and Teach864 for helping us with today’s intro.