Too Many Teachers, But Not Enough Tech-Savvy Ones

Stephen Sawchuk, in an article in Education Week, says that colleges are producing too many elementary school teachers. In New York, for example, during 2009-2010, there were 6498 elementary candidates and only 2800 positions available. The National Association of State Boards of Education, in its report (December 2012) on the role of technology in schools and communities, found that America’s schools are in need of tech-savvy teachers and that schools of education need to champion tech use in classrooms. Considering the overproduction of elementary teachers at this time, one has to wonder if middle and high school teachers will be next. Answers may lie in establishing higher standards for admission to Schools of Education and in devoting a significant portion of pre-teaching studies to uses of technologies in classrooms.