Tackling The Teacher Shortage

The teacher shortage is a perennial topic when it comes to education in New Mexico. Over the years, lawmakers and other officials have put stock in loads of different efforts aimed at addressing the shortage, from increasing pay to starting new recruiting programs.

But what makes a good teacher? And why do some teachers leave the profession so quickly? Can something be done differently to fix that? A recent NMSU report indicated the state's teacher vacancies were down by 34% in New Mexico from the year prior, but the state still has a lot of work to do. This week on the podcast, Chris and Gabby are joined by Alan Mather, President of the Golden Apple Foundation in New Mexico. Mather discusses the organization's boots-on-the-ground "Scholars Program," which is aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers to work in the New Mexico communities they're from.

The Scholars Program is now open for applicants. If you know an aspiring teacher who's in high school, university, or community college, you can also refer candidates to the program. For more information, visit the program's website at this link.

Send us a note, a line, or an idea. Reach us via email at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.