Hawaii’s latest effort to recruit teachers: Put prospective educators in classrooms sooner

State leaders are looking to address Hawaii’s ongoing teacher shortage through a new apprenticeship program that would allow prospective educators to earn their teacher credentials while also working full time in schools.

Hawaii recently received nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to help develop and launch the initiative.

Apprenticeships in Hawaii aren’t new, with community colleges and employers offering over 100 programs to aspiring technicians, nursing assistants, cooks and most recently, preschool teachers. In the coming years, prospective elementary and high school educators could join these ranks by gaining extensive classroom experience while completing the coursework needed for a teacher’s license.

Some details of the apprenticeship have yet to be determined, but state educational leaders are looking to employ apprentices as full-time educational assistants in Department of Education schools. Participants may also receive financial aid for classes they need to earn a teacher’s license.

Approximately 20 states have active teacher apprenticeship programs. When done well, advocates say, apprenticeships can improve teacher recruitment and retention because of their financial incentives and opportunities for continued mentorship and hands-on experience.

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“It’s taking down those barriers,” Felicia Villalobos said about the financial and professional support apprentices can receive through the program. Villalobos is executive director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, a state agency that oversees teacher licenses and is leading the creation of the new apprenticeship.

Teacher vacancies in Hawaii have declined in recent years, according to the DOE. In September 2023, nearly 300 teacher positions were unfilled, compared to 721 in the previous year. But the state still has a high need for qualified, licensed teachers, particularly in areas like special education, Hawaiian language immersion and career and technical education.

Most recently, the state has brought in teachers from the Philippines to fill open positions, although most are unable to stay in Hawaii for more than five years at a time.

Stephen Schatz, executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, said he’s hopeful the apprenticeship program can recruit more local teachers. Educational assistants who already work in schools could be prime candidates if they want to take another step in their careers, he added.

“The exciting part is, you never have to stop working and earning a living,” Schatz said. “You can upskill and make it to becoming a full-time teacher.”

More Planning Underway

Typically, teacher education programs require students to complete an unpaid semester of student teaching, said Nathan Murata, dean of the University of Hawaii Manoa’s College of Education. During this time, students work alongside experienced educators to teach classes and develop lesson plans, but the limited classroom time may not offer enough preparation for some.

HTSB and its partners are still determining the specifics of the apprenticeship, but Murata imagines it would run for roughly two years to provide students more time to develop their teaching skills while still completing necessary coursework.

Prospective educators enter the licensing process at different stages, Villalobos said. Some may seek an undergraduate degree in education immediately after high school, while others may have classroom experience as an emergency hire but lack a teacher license. Ultimately, Villalobos said she would like to develop apprenticeship pathways that could provide multiple opportunities for licensing, regardless of people’s initial level of experience or education.

Teachers in Hawaii must hold a bachelor’s degree to obtain a license.

Villalobos would also like to see the apprenticeship help cover the costs of classes and training associated with a teacher’s license. The Department of Labor recently announced its largest investment in apprenticeships yet, and Villalobos hopes to use more federal funding to cover tuition fees and books for students moving forward.

Hawaii has three years to spend the $5 million federal grant it received earlier this month, which helps states develop and expand their apprenticeships. But the program will also require more buy-in from state lawmakers.

Earlier this year, Rep. Amy Perruso introduced a bill that would have appropriated state funds to support the teacher apprenticeship program.

The bill died in the Senate, but Perruso estimated the program would have required almost $300,000 in its first year to fund administrative positions as well as stipends for teachers willing to mentor apprentices. Ideally, she added, federal funding would cover apprentices’ pay.

“There’s no way to get around it except for investing in our teachers,” Perruso said.

Slowly Building Capacity

Apprenticeships have seen some early success in growing teacher pathways in Hawaii.

This spring, Honolulu Community College and Keiki O Ka Aina, which runs learning centers for children up to age 5 across the state, introduced an apprenticeship for early educators. Through the three-year program, students work as classroom aides at Keiki O Ka Aina while also earning their associate’s degree and early educator credentials through UH’s community colleges.

Hawaii has faced a long-time shortage of preschool teachers to address families’ high demand for early learning programs.

Students are currently able to receive tuition stipends through the Executive Office on Early Learning, but Keiki O Ka Aina would help to cover the costs of college classes if state aid weren’t available, said Melodie Vega, the program’s chief early education officer.

In turn, apprentices who complete the three-year program are expected to work for two additional years as certified teachers at Keiki O Ka Aina.

“We just want to grow the field,” Vega said.

So far, the apprenticeship has enrolled four students and will add two more participants in the fall. But the program is seeing growing interest from county leaders, and other early learning programs may follow Keiki O Ka Aina’s lead, said Caroline Soga, an associate professor at Honolulu Community College.

“I think we’re internationally building it at a pace that we want to make sure is successful,” Soga said, adding that it took approximately two years to develop the apprenticeship and receive approval from the Department of Labor.

Since the apprenticeship for K-12 educators is still in its planning stages, there’s no set date for when it will begin enrolling students. Depending on support from state lawmakers, Murata said he’s hopeful the program could start accepting a few students as early as next fall.

Moving forward, it’s important to invest in training for mentor teachers as well as apprentices, said David Donaldson, founder and managing partner of the National Center for Grow Your Own, which helps states develop their educator workforce. Not all teachers have experience serving as mentors or are prepared to oversee an apprentice’s training for years at a time, Donaldson added.

“Just because you’re a good teacher, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a good mentor,” he said.

Hawaii also needs to make long-term commitments to robust teacher training, Murata said. National leaders are making historic investments in apprenticeships right now, he added, but it’s up to the state to maintain its program once federal funding runs dry.

“It’s a game changer to me,” Murata said.

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This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.