Teacher Retention: Perkins Funding and Legislation

In order to retain individuals in any given field, an organization or entity would have to give those individuals a purpose for commitment. In regard to CTE, most teachers in this field already come into the classroom with other career options. It would be great if Perkin's funded post-secondary education to those who choose to commit to the classroom. In addition, it would also be nice if there was some part of the legislation that would provide those CTE educators with needed components that would engage more commerce between the school and it's surrounding community. It would also be advantageous to see an arrangement that would allow loan repayment in exchange for service, similarly to that of the military GI Bill. That way a CTE professional educator can focus on their career and not the burden of repaying a loan. In addition, this would guarantee a longer stay for needed teachers in their respective areas. This narrowed focus would encourage educators to not only stay, but also build on their current careers as educators and perhaps enhance other areas of CTE, such as research, administration, career forecasting for students and program development.