Teaching Profession

Secretary Cardona Emphasizes Importance of Teacher Retention, Diversity

By Eesha Pendharkar — July 20, 2023 3 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on June 30, 2023.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona envisions a more diverse, better paid, and more respected teaching profession in 10 years, and knows how crucial teacher retention is to the future of the profession, as teacher shortages continue nationwide.

“I want to see the profession as beautifully diverse as our country,” he said July 19 to a room of about 80 Black teachers and teachers-in-training in Washington, D.C. “Our students need that. Folks that look like them in front of the classrooms.”

The audience was part of the Teacher Quality and Retention Program, or TQRP, offered by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit that represents Black colleges and institutions.

TQRP is a five-year fellowship, supporting new and aspiring teachers which provides preservice training, personalized support once teachers enter into the classroom, and an annual 10-day professional development summer institute.

Cardona’s speech on the final day of the institute filled the TQRP fellows with hope for the future of teaching, three teachers who work in Title I schools across the country told Education Week.

“It was just good to know that there was somebody in the position who is relatable and who has experienced what we’re going through currently in the classroom,” said Paris Patterson, a teacher in the East St. Louis schools in Illinois.

Cardona told the teachers about being a first-generation college student, how he got into teaching, and how he became a principal at 28. He also talked about the greatest challenges to the teaching profession that the U.S. Department of Education plans to tackle, such as teacher shortages, inadequate pay, and lack of professional development.

“This teacher shortage is a symptom of the teacher-respect issue we have in this country,” Cardona said. “Let’s trust their decisions in the field. Let’s ask for their input as we reimagine schools after the pandemic.”

Regular professional development can help retain teachers

Offering teachers regular professional development is one way to ensure they stay in the profession, Cardona said.

The whole purpose of the TQRP program is “to encourage these stars to stay in the classroom and to be good role models for others, and then to hopefully inspire the next generation of teachers,” said Harry Williams, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s CEO.

The program offers the training they need, the three teachers told EdWeek.

“I think they’re providing what we missed in college, during our formal education,” said India Barnett, a teacher from the District of Columbia’s school system.

“Professional development in districts, they try to give us information about resources that half the time we don’t even really use as educators,” Barnett said. “And it takes time away from things like this, where we actually [learn] the tools to teach students how to read, teach students how to do mathematical equations, how to understand science.”

Increasing salaries can help recruit more teachers

Offering higher salaries to teachers is another effective retention strategy, Cardona said.

He said that teachers make 27 percent less than other college graduates with similar degrees. His department has been pushing governors to raise the entry-level and mid-tier teacher salaries to ensure teachers stay in the profession, he said.

He also highlighted apprenticeship programs, which will allow teachers to earn a wage while completing their training in classrooms. President Joe Biden has highlighted the model as a way to combat teacher shortages.

Nineteen states now have teacher apprenticeship programs, Cardona said. He wants to expand that to all 50 states.

Williams said it’s encouraging to hear Cardona prioritize apprenticeships for aspiring teachers.

“If there’s a program designed so that teachers can get paid, just like in corporate America, to do internships, I think that would be a great tool that could potentially attract more people into education,” Williams said.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Explainer Teacher Pay, Explained: Salary, Benefits, and Pensions
Learn how teachers are compensated, and the role that states and districts play in setting pay.
Illustration concept of chalkboard with a money symbol drawn and in the background are a people that represent teachers and administrators.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Teachers, This Newsletter Is for You
EdWeek's Teacher Update is an email you'll actually want to read.
1 min read
A teacher reads a story to her prekindergarten students at UCLA Community School.
A teacher reads a story to her prekindergarten students at UCLA Community School.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession Movement Breaks Aren’t Just for Kids—Teachers Need Them Too
Teachers who integrate movement into their daily routines can enhance their well-being and effectiveness.
4 min read
Teacher Jazzmyne Townsend works with students during a small group reading lesson at Stanton Elementary School in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2025.
Teacher Jazzmyne Townsend works with students during a small group reading lesson at Stanton Elementary School in the District of Columbia on April 3, 2025.
Richard Pierrin for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Teach For America's Outgoing CEO Reflects on Her Tenure
How changes to the education and political landscape have affected the organization since its founding 35 years ago.
9 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week