The 89th Legislature has the opportunity to take a comprehensive, targeted approach to address Texas’s well-trained teacher shortage and to fulfill Governor Abbott’s emergency item request to invest in high-quality teacher preparation pathways.
SB 2253 by Chairman Creighton would fulfill the dire need for Texas to build the supply of well-trained teachers and invest in what works. SB 2253 targets funding to proven, practice-based models. It creates economic incentives for future teachers to pursue high-quality preparation. And, it builds up a sustainable, effective workforce that ensures school districts, with particular focus on rural and high-poverty schools, will have a talent pool of well-trained teachers. Ultimately, SB 2253 invests in what works to ensure Texas students are equipped to compete for jobs and be positioned for lifelong economic mobility.
Teachers are the most significant in-school factor impacting students’ academic achievement. Teachers who have practice-based training see better results for their students, and they stay longer in the profession. With residency-prepared teachers, students gain 3 months of learning in reading and 2.5 months of learning in math. If all first-year teachers had the same retention rate as paid residents, approximately 3,600 fewer first-year teachers would have left Texas public schools between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Unfortunately, Texas doesn’t have enough well-trained teachers, leading to a steep increase in the number of uncertified teachers responsible for student learning.
In 2023-24, 56% of first-time teachers were uncertified (75% in rural schools), and these teachers left the classroom more often than qualified teachers.
Uncertified teachers have significantly higher attrition rates than their traditionally prepared peers. Teacher turnover is costly – with estimates that replacing a single teacher costs from $12,000 to $25,000 when considering separation, recruitment, hiring, and training expenses.
Student academic achievement suffers when their teachers are not well-trained. With uncertified teachers, students lose four months of learning in reading and three months of learning in math.
View relevant media diving deeper into the challenge, and evidence-driven solutions:
SB 2253 would invest in results-driven, practice-based teacher preparation programs.
