Educators at Maryland roundtable cite certification barriers, burnout and urge coaching to retain diverse teachers

Educators at a Maryland State Board of Education roundtable identified certification hurdles, workforce burnout and gaps between preparation and classroom realities as central obstacles to the state's Enabler 3 priority on educator preparation, diversity and quality.

Dr. Rosalina Burgos, senior director of early childhood at CentroNia, said the plan should account for infant and toddler educators and said language and certification requirements can exclude bilingual providers: "We hire them for the pre-k, and either they cannot complete the requisites for certification because they are Spanish speakers and their capacity to manage the tests and the materials in English is difficult for them," Burgos said, arguing the state must create pathways for multilingual educators.

Multiple classroom teachers described workplace stressors that drive departures. "Teachers are burnt out," said Betsy Perry, a special education teacher with nearly 30 years of experience, who described shortages of substitutes, rising noninstructional duties and increased student needs since the pandemic.

Participants offered concrete strategies: Kelly Humble, a Baltimore City staff developer, recommended expanding teacher coaching positions to support on-the-job learning; Rodney Lee, a band director in Worcester County, suggested earlier, more realistic internships and apprenticeship-style pathways to bridge the gap between training and independent classroom practice; Claudine Gray, a first-year teacher from Baltimore City, described the value of an intensive teaching residency she completed that included ongoing coaching.

Speakers repeatedly connected these workforce proposals to the Blueprint and to MSDE's planned career-ladder incentives and mentorship programs. The roundtable gathered these perspectives for MSDE's Phase 2 goal-setting; no formal policy changes were adopted during the session.