is Hard to Find Special Talent

SPED, STEM, and language teachers are back in classrooms with ESS and Proximity Learning

he teacher shortage has been hardest on specialized and advanced disciplines. While general teacher availability is still low, special education, STEM, and language teachers are more rare.

Exacerbating this stunning shortage in specialized educators has been a steeply growing demand for these positions. SPED, STEM, and language teachers have become cornerstones of thriving school systems, and their hardto-solve absence has left over 45% of school districts to operate without full staffing.

So how can this problem be solved?

It’s not like districts can just wave a magic wand and put these specialized teachers in their classroom... or can they?

The Magic of Partnerships

The truth is there’s very little districts can do reverse low graduation rates for specialized educators. What they can do, is partner with employee solution firms to bolster their hiring and training abilities.

Employee solution firms such as ESS are helping districts reinvent their hiring practices into a more mentoring focused model. ESS is primarily a substitute teacher solution, providing over 100,000 substitutes nationwide (10,400 of which are in Texas). The company leverages its extensive resources, to hire and train substitute candidates who have the potential to grow into the full-time hires, including SPED, STEM, and language personnel.

“We regularly hire multilingual substitutes as a normal part of our service to our district partners,” Fred Bentsen, Vice President of Business Development, Texas, said. “We also help our substitutes pursue STEM credits and certification, supporting them financially through their continuing education. And we’re one of the country’s largest employers of special education professionals,” he added.

“Our district partners know they can count on us to actively recruit, train and place substitutes for all positions, but with a laser focus on their hardest-to-fill positions and this is key to our role as a partner who is aligned to the district’s student achievement goals.”

Real Teaching Connections from a Distance

Due to the teacher shortage, virtual teaching solutions have become popular, giving districts a fast, viable solution to an otherwise daunting problem. Companies such as Proximity Learning use technology to place certified, specialized teachers directly in classrooms. “We found our purpose when a notable teacher shortage began back in 2010,” Annette Rodriguez, Executive Director of Sales for Proximity Learning, said. “We were connecting certified teachers in one part of the country with students in another, making a real difference in educational equity and access. Our teachers are not only certified in a given content area, they are virtual teaching and learning experts.”

A good virtual teaching solution is more than just “Zoom with an inclass proctor.” Proximity Learning drives connection with students by emphasizing interactivity, one-onone time between teachers and students, and flexible live sessions that fit seamlessly into your schools’ schedules. It’s program components like these that will keep students engaged, connected, and learning in their virtual classrooms.

It’s true that virtual teaching solutions can drastically improve educational equity in schools. Virtual classrooms connect SPED, STEM, and language teachers with students to open whole worlds of opportunity. Proximity Learning provides students access to teachers and courses that would not otherwise be available.

Annette Rodriguez Executive Director of Sales