Virginia is harnessing the reach of social media to recruit teachers with a new campaign to address the ongoing teacher shortage.
The Virginia Department of Education launched a one-year social media campaign called “Become a Teacher,” which includes targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. These ads highlight the teaching professions and the difference teachers can make in the lives of their students.
The ads direct users to an interactive quiz on the Become a Teacher campaign website. The quiz connects potential teachers with the path to a Virginia teaching license that is most aligned with their professional and educational backgrounds. Information includes career-switcher programs, license reciprocity with other states, and teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities.
The website also includes links for information about financial supports and incentives that are available for both aspiring teachers and current Virginia educators, as well as an interactive Virginia map where users can explore current teaching opportunities by region and school division.
The “Become a Teacher” campaign is part of the VDOE’s multiyear, multipronged “Turning the Tide” strategic plan to address teacher shortages in the commonwealth.
“The ‘Become a Teacher’ campaign and Turning the Tide reflect extensive research — including interviews with teachers, career-switchers and students enrolled in teacher preparation programs — to identify state-level policies and best practices to strengthen the teacher pipeline and keep teachers in the classroom,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said in a news release.
“Our goal is to ensure that every child in the commonwealth is taught by a qualified teacher.”
The “Become a Teacher” campaign is supported through $1 million in federal pandemic relief funding awarded to Virginia for its efforts on recruiting and retaining teachers.
