Oklahoma sees 54% increase in emergency teacher licenses

Oklahoma issued emergency teaching licenses to allow the hiring of 3,038 nonaccredited teachers in the 2018-19 school year, a 54% increase over the previous year, the Shawnee News-Star reports. And with more than 800 emergency certifications issued last week, that number is expected to rise again this school year. In the past six years, roughly 30,000 of teachers have left the profession in Oklahoma, according to a report issued by the state earlier this year. In times of teacher shortages, nonaccredited teaching certificates issued in the state allow teachers to work in a classroom for up to two years while they continue pursuing credentials, an effort that is largely left up to school districts to oversee.