Teaching the Future: Three Ways UofL is Battling the Teacher Shortage

The teacher shortage is a reality districts across Kentucky are facing. The stakes are high for a district like Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). JCPS serves over 90,000 students across more than 160 schools. They had over 300 teaching positions still open after the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Marco Muñoz, assistant director of retention and engagement at JCPS, said that the shortage is not a new phenomenon. It has been growing since 2010. The pandemic made it worse. 

The challenge facing Kentucky reflects a national trend. According to the U.S. Department of Education, every state reported teacher shortages during the 2024–2025 school year. The National Education Association found there have been fewer hires than job openings since 2014. Math, science, and special education have been hit particularly hard. 

The impact of these vacancies extends beyond academics. Students face larger class sizes and fewer course options. It may result in fewer extracurricular opportunities such as afterschool clubs, music and art programs, and intermural sports. This may lead to an increase in student behavioral issues and lead to lower academic performance and attendance rates. 

While teacher recruitment is one prong of the shortage, teacher retention is the other. Teacher attrition continues to outpace new teacher certifications. A 2014 study published by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education found that nearly 42% of teachers quit within their first five years. This indicates that teacher retention is as important as recruitment when it comes to the shortage.  

Muñoz said that early-career teachers tend to leave the profession because of the excessive workload and poor work-life balance. “They have the lowest compensation and larger class sizes. For additional compensation, they are sometimes asked to give up planning periods and lunch to help cover the shortage,” said Muñoz.  

Recognizing the urgent need for qualified teachers, the College of Education and Human Development at University of Louisville (UofL) has strengthened its educator preparation pipeline. Highlights include three areas: alternative teacher certification, partnerships with districts, and multi-faceted support programs for undergraduate education students. 

Alternative Pathways to Teacher Certification 

Alex Claycomb started her career as an accountant but found her passion in teaching. “I wanted to educate young people on good financial habits before becoming adults. That sparked my change in careers to become an educator. I wanted to be able to impact and educate,” Claycomb said in an email. “That realization sparked my desire to not just teach but to empower students with skills that impact their lives beyond the classroom, particularly in areas like financial literacy and real-world readiness.”  

To reduce barriers for students who wish to become teachers, the Kentucky Department of Education established alternative teacher certification pathways. These alternative pathways give students different options to pursue teacher certification based on their personal education experiences and background. Claycomb enrolled at UofL under Option 6. 

Option 6 is the most common alternative route at UofL, said Brandon Gossett, program manager for the Office of Educator Excellence. Option 6 students are those who did not major in education as an undergraduate. They have a bachelor’s degree in another field and work as full-time teachers who take classes in the evening to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching and their initial teacher certification.  

Louisville Teacher Residency 

The Louisville Teacher Residency (LTR) is a one-year pathway to teacher certification offered at UofL. It allows aspiring teachers to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching degree and teacher certification while working full time in JCPS classrooms. It combines graduate coursework with immersive, hands-on teaching experience. LTR students commit to teaching in a JCPS Accelerated Improvement School for five years after they graduate. 

UofL launched LTR, their first residency program, about seven years ago after JCPS sought out higher education partners for a local residency program. Dr. Stefanie Wooten-Burnett, assistant dean for educator preparation, outlined a possible program structure with guidance from Betty Hampton, the director of educator preparation student services at UofL. JCPS administrators loved the idea. “I graduated from and directed a one-year MAT program. I knew exactly how to design and implement a program like this. I brought both the practical and programmatic experience needed for it to succeed,” Wooten-Burnett said in a Microsoft Teams interview. “I knew that it was going to change how UofL thought about teacher education.” The LTR program has paved the way for partnerships with other school districts and the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, OVEC. 

LTR is one of UofL’s most popular teacher certification pathways and one of the most successful. “If we have 180 graduates, 175 of them are still teaching,” Wooten-Burnett said. 

UofL’s hands-on support ensures that teacher candidates in the LTR program thrive both academically and professionally. From financial and mental health resources to personalized academic guidance, students receive comprehensive assistance during their time in the program.  

Support for Undergraduate Education Majors 

UofL offers education as a major for undergraduate students. Ashley Manning said, “It was one of the most positive experiences I ever had because [UofL] makes sure that you succeeded as a student.” Manning graduated from UofL in 2017. 

For undergraduate education majors, UofL offers the opportunity to become a member of Mentoring Tomorrow’s Rising Professionals, MTRP. Since its inception in 1985, MTRP champions the advancement of educators who bring a wealth of perspectives and pedagogical strengths to their teaching. It empowers teacher candidates to engage with and inspire every student in their classroom.  

MTRP students receive support by way of study groups, tutoring, and test preparation. Résumé and interview workshops are offered in conjunction with the UofL Career Center.  

General encouragement from faculty and staff is a cornerstone of MTRP. Laila Shell, a junior at UofL, is a member of MTRP. “I am a first-generation student. I had not initially considered education as a major. [Programs like MTRP] were beneficial right off the bat,” she said in a Microsoft Teams interview. “I learned that you cannot do everything by yourself. You need a team. You need people who can help you when you need support.” She receives that support from MTRP. 

“Our work is centered on recruiting and retaining future educators,” said MTRP Director Dr. Whitney Taylor in a Microsoft Teams interview. “We surround students with a connected network of mentors, alumni, and partners who all work toward a shared goal of supporting their academic, personal, and professional journey. The goal isn’t just graduation; it’s building a foundation for sustainable success in the classroom and beyond.”  

That goal has come to fruition. MTRP alumni support is strong. MTRP alumni give back to UofL by returning as mentors or guest speakers for the next generation of teachers.  

Looking Ahead 

Despite encouraging progress, the road ahead remains challenging. The teacher shortage persists. Hundreds of open teaching jobs still exist at JCPS. Programs like alternative certification pathways, LTR, and MTRP, will require ongoing funding, flexibility, and alignment across university, district, and community partners. New teachers need consistent, meaningful support to remain engaged and confident in the classroom. 

But the situation is not entirely grim. Muñoz said that early-career teachers find a sense of purpose and commitment to teaching students. Ongoing teacher engagement surveys at JCPS find that 96% of early-career teachers agree that the work they do each day has a lasting positive impact on students. 93% agree that teachers at their school go above and beyond to support students. “Early-career teachers truly enjoy receiving appreciation from administrators for their work and like to see the rules for student behavior consistently enforced by other teachers,” Muñoz said. 

For Alex Claycomb it is the impact she makes on the lives of her students that keeps her in the classroom. “Every day I influence young minds, spark curiosity, and equip students with knowledge that will change their lives. Seeing students grasp concepts that empower them reminds me that this work matters.”  

Programs like those at UofL may serve as a national model. It shows that when universities, districts, and communities work together, they can build a stronger and more resilient educator workforce for generations to come.