Legislative Priorities

Student teaching is a demanding period in an aspiring educator’s life, requiring a veteran teacher’s work schedule. Making student teaching a paid experience allows aspiring educators to devote their full attention to developing professionally without the burden of financial uncertainty.

Assist candidates completing degrees in teacher education, educational leadership, school counseling, or school psychology at Georgia public and independent universities who agree to work in high-need Georgia public schools for a specified period. Persons who complete degree programs in these areas grow Georgia’s teaching force and support the success of all students, including those in need of reading support and with mental health needs. 

Educators who supervise teacher interns in online and in-person learning environments play a pivotal role in ensuring Georgia has effective teachers in every classroom. Effective teachers will serve as mentors and induction leaders, and schools will assign teacher interns to strong educators when compensated.

School districts aspire to create P-12 instructional pathways to address future teaching workforce needs. To do so, they require funding to identify potential future teacher enrolled in their schools, create early immersion grade-appropriate activities to nurture potential, and establish high school-technical college-university partnership pathways to employment in education.

The Teacher Retirement System is a teacher recruitment and retention tool. The current TRS structure presents teaching as a long-term, financially attractive pursuit, thus encouraging graduates of Georgia’s educator preparation programs to seek employment in Georgia public schools.