(AP) — Education experts say Indiana’s lingering teacher shortage is being driven in part by a drop in teacher’s pay even as educators are being asked to do more in the classroom.
The U.S. Department of Education says that in Indiana, inflation-adjusted teacher pay has fallen since the 1999-2000 school year to the point where teachers now earn almost 16 percent less than they did two decades ago.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that 2015 data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education shows enrollment in teaching programs and those graduating with teaching degrees declined 37 percent from 2004 through 2014. A survey of the past three years by Indiana State University professor Terry McDaniel confirms superintendents statewide are experiencing more difficulty finding teachers.
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