National Scan of Pathways to Becoming a First-Time Teacher

Just as states require that anyone wishing to operate a motor vehicle meet specific driver’s license requirements, state policies dictate that anyone interested in teaching in a public school must first fulfill a series of requirements to obtain a teaching credential.

As American schools increasingly struggle to find an adequate number of racially-diverse, well-qualified teachers to meet their staffing needs, states are under pressure to open new “pathways into teaching,” or to modify existing pathways.