State law requires public school teachers to be certified by the Rhode Island Department of Education. That could become automatic for teachers from Massachusetts and Connecticut under a proposal from Rhode Island Education Commissioner, Ken Wagner. His plan would offer out-of-state teachers the chance to apply for Rhode Island jobs, and as long as they’re certified in Massachusetts or Connecticut, they will be certified in Rhode Island too.
Wagner said except for a few details, the states are already closely aligned in what they require to certify teachers.
“We have amazing teachers in our neighboring states, and Massachusetts, which is considered not just a leader in the country, but a leader in the world. We have certified teachers in Massachusetts. We have certified teachers in Connecticut. Sometimes, they just live 10 minutes away,” he said.
According to Wagner, the majority of teacher shortages are at the high school level and in areas like teaching English as a second language and special education.
