Teachers go hightech - 10/2000

During the coming decade, the US will need to hire more than two million new teachers. California alone estimates they will need 300,000 teachers over the next ten years and New York expects to replace half of its teaching force. A study by RNT earlier this year found that virtually every urban school district has an urgent need for teachers in all fields. Faced with this shortage, states and districts have resorted to competing for employees through active recruitment strategies that include offering signing bonuses, on-site childcare, and housing grants. New York currently imports teachers from as far away as Austria, and California Governor Gray Davis has proposed tax breaks for teachers.

But incentives only work when teachers can find out about the jobs. This is one reason why RNT has created the first online National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse a one-stop shop for information and resources about teacher recruitment.

The Clearinghouse will transform what has been a hit-or-miss process into a more efficient, effective exchange of information, said President Clinton in his weekly radio address. By logging on to www.recruitingteachers.org, schools districts can find qualified teachers, and teachers can find out where the jobs are.

www.recruitingteachers.org