Paul Vallas

BUENOS DIAS, PROFESORA!
Teacher Shortage Could Cause a Run for the Border
The headlines are screaming about teacher shortages from coast-to-coast. Now, a group of educators in Chicago has come up with an innovative solution that may be an especially good short-term fix for public charter schools because they often have certification requirements more flexible than traditional districts. “Global Educator” was founded in anticipation of teacher scarcity in the wake of Covid. The organization forged a relationship with several state governments in Mexico where there is a surplus of highly experienced, certified, bilingual teachers. It recruits and places carefully vetted, qualified teachers physically in the US through the J-1 visa program, and also provides teachers who teach virtually from their homes in Mexico.  All of Global Educator’s teacher have at least a master’s degree from an accredited university. Because the cost of living in Mexico is so much lower than in the U.S., schools who have hired Global Educator’s teachers are saving thousands of dollars, while still paying the teachers more than they would earn teaching in a Mexican school. In communities with large Hispanic populations, schools find this a way to diversify their teaching staff to be more representative of the students they serve, without taking long-term American jobs, as there simply are not enough teachers, nor a domestic pipeline strong enough to meet the needs of every classroom.