Dive Brief:
- The Kansas Board of Education approved (9-1) a proposal allowing individuals without education degrees to get teaching licenses.
- Starting July 1, people with bachelor degrees and at least five years in a given field will be allowed to teach classes in that field, or its umbrella subject, in schools.
- The bill was approved as a way to increase the number of available teachers for subjects like math, science, engineering, and technology.
Dive Insight:
While Kansas's board unanimously passed this idea last month, it was supposed to wait 120 days before voting again. Clearly, it decided to jump the gun, since the bill will go into action in just a few days.
Indiana also has toyed with this idea, and while it received a preliminary approval from the state's board of education, the proposal has yet to be turned into law. Perhaps Indiana will now turn to Kansas to see how it goes over.
Advocates for the idea believe it's a benefit, as it strengthens the content knowledge of teachers. A typical complaint is that many STEM teachers don't always have a professional background in these subjects and therefore don't always fully understand the ins and outs of the fields they teach. This could potentially fix that. Critics, however, are quick to point out that schools are more than just academics, and a teacher's role is not just about direct instruction. A knowledge of teaching pedagogy and behavior management skills will be missing for these new educators that lack time in an education degree program.