Dive Brief:

• The answer to a nationwide teacher shortage may be in technological advances like video conferencing, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12, which details how “state-of-the-art video tools, interactive whiteboards and personal devices” could allow qualified educators to be beamed into classrooms from anywhere in the country.

• Gallup surveyed K-12 district superintendents recently and found that 67% of respondents said the number of new teacher candidates is declining, and nearly 40% of respondents said the quality of candidates was also falling.

• Many schools already have video conferencing capabilities, according to EdTech, they just don’t know how to utilize the technology to expand their network of qualified teachers.

Dive Insight:

Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers is particularly difficult in rural communities and low-income urban schools. For these districts, technology's ability to "beam in" qualified teachers could be a real asset.

This could particularly be the case with computer, math and science teachers — subjects where the shortages have been the most felt.

There can, of course, be downsides to this sort of plan, as — like all technology — it is fallible and ultimately reliant on equipment working and internet connections being in place.

There's also the question of whether this is a short-term fix and more systemic solutions should be implemented to attract better, more specialized teachers — changes like better pay and support systems for educators.

According to a 2017 analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 29 states provided less overall funding per student in the 2015 school year than in the 2008 school year. However, a stream of walkouts last school year has reignited the fight and yielded results.

A National Conference of State Legislatures report issued this summer detailed how teacher protests eventually led to West Virginia lawmakers signing off on a 5% pay increase, Oklahoma legislators increasing annual pay by $6,100 (though not raising total ed spending), and Arizona lawmakers increasing pay by 20% over three years.