Whatever it is the State of Florida is doing to recruit new teachers isn’t working: Evidence from the state’s teacher certification exams.

To earn a Florida teaching certification, an individual must pass the state’s certification exam in the subject area she or he intends to teach (or pass the elementary education exam that consists of exam sections in language arts/reading, social science, science and math). So the best way to track how many individuals are trying to enter teaching in particular subjects is to track the numbers of individuals who are taking the certification exams for the first time. The plots below show those numbers for calendar years back to 2013 for a selection of subject areas. (Source FLDOE) The plots also show the numbers of first-time exam takers who pass the exam on the first attempt.

The results are bleak. Whatever it is our state is doing to recruit new teachers, it isn’t working.