Let's rethink the message we send to potential educators

Enrollment in teacher education programs has been in decline, and school districts are receiving fewer applications for open teaching positions. PDK CEO Josh Starr considers how to stem this decline by presenting teaching as just one part of a pathway into changing the world through education. Although many students enter teacher preparation programs because they envision themselves making a career in the classroom, others tend to be activists who are looking for a way to serve their community. Teacher preparation programs might be able to draw more of these activist students into the profession by treating the classroom as one step in a larger education profession.