Staff report
The Kentucky Department of Education is addressing the critical teacher shortage in different ways — and one of them is the GoTeachKY program which began in 2019 as an initiative to recruit the next generation of Kentucky educators. The critical teacher shortage currently affects every state in America.
Research supports that the most important factor contributing to student achievement is effective teachers. The mission of GoTeachKY is to ensure that all students across the Commonwealth have equitable access to effective educators. The program is managed by the Division of Educator Recruitment and Development in the Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness.
Since its inception, GoTeachKY has evolved to encompass five priority areas:
• Encourage early entry;
• Elevate the teaching profession;
• Engage in actionable supports;
• Employ strategies to certification; and
• Entice to stay in the profession.
GoTeachKY seeks to expose middle and high school students to the wonders of the teaching profession by providing access to the Teaching and Learning career pathway and Educators Rising, formerly Future Educators of America, a career and technical student organization.
One of the most visible pieces of GoTeachKY is a marketing campaign that engages across social media channels on a daily basis in order to promote a sense of joy and pride in the teaching profession.
Each year a team of GoTeachKY Ambassadors, in-service teachers across the state, promote the teaching profession online and in person. There are current Ambassadors on the team from Northern Kentucky schools.
GoTeachKY is committed to providing right-on-time resources in needed areas of support in order to alleviate teacher recruitment barriers. The GoTeachKY website provides access to resources so individuals can learn more about the pathways one can take to become an educator.
Addressing the potential barriers to attaining certification requires GoTeachKY to be innovative and engage in partnerships with a variety of organizations. New programs are in development.
The GoTeachKY team recognizes that recruitment efforts must be accompanied by equally robust retention efforts. Teacher turnover impacts the quality of education students receive, creates challenges for those who stay, and is costly to the district. Keeping teachers in the classroom benefits everyone.