This school year, parents could see more credentialed interns teaching classes as the nation deals with a widespread teacher shortage, according to National University.
The university, which recommends more people for credentials than any other university or college in the state, said schools are hiring more people with “intern credentials,” which means they are teaching while getting their licenses.
Dr. Judy Mantle, the dean of National University’s School of Education, said the idea of this kind of “on the job training” is not new, but the university has seen a spike in the number of credentialed interns in the classroom.
The rise comes, she said, as a teacher shortage takes its toll on districts across the country. Statewide, there are 22,500 teachers needed for this school year.
“It’s very significant, I think, because we’re finally coming to a place in history where we’ve talked about the possibility of a teacher shortage, baby boomers on the cusp of retirement, etc. We are now here,” said Mantle.
She said the problem is particularly dire in Clark County, Nevada, where the district is short 1,000 teachers as school begins.
San Diego Unified School District is working to get information about the number of teachers it has to start the school year. A spokesperson said anecdotally, the district does not foresee a problem since it hired teachers early in the year.
