This week, a Senate bill aimed at addressing teacher recruitment advanced through the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee, even as North Carolina’s teacher pay ranking continues to decline.
Teacher Licensure Modifications
Senate Bill 840, with bipartisan sponsorship, moved through committee with minor amendments. The bill removes several existing licensure barriers, including the Praxis Core requirement for entry into educator preparation programs (EPPs), the requirement that teachers attempt licensure exams in their first year, and the requirement that out-of-state licenses meet substantially similar standards. An adopted amendment would allow teachers entering through alternative pathways to earn a continuing license without passing exams if their students demonstrate positive growth in two of three years, tying licensure more directly to classroom outcomes.
In the Public School Forum’s Top Education Issues, the recommendation to remove the Praxis Core requirement–while maintaining rigorous, evidence-based licensure standards–reflects similar policy considerations. Research and state data suggest the Praxis Core is not a strong predictor of classroom effectiveness and may act as a barrier to entry. During the pandemic, when the requirement was waived, North Carolina saw a 35% increase in EPP admissions. With more than 6,700 teaching positions unfilled by a certified teacher early in the 2025-26 school year, reducing unnecessary barriers may help expand the pipeline and address these vacancy gaps.
At the same time, recruitment-focused policies alone will not fully address broader workforce challenges. North Carolina now ranks 46th in the nation for teacher pay, well-below neighboring states. Without a finalized state budget, uncertainty remains around compensation and long-term investment in the profession. Taken together, these dynamics highlight a broader policy consideration: strengthening the educator workforce will likely require a combination of expanded entry pathways and competitive compensation to support both recruitment and retention.
Recommendations from the DRIVE Taskforce, reinforced by ongoing efforts of the DRIVE Coalition, underscore the need to expand educator pipeline entry points through models proven to successfully recruit diverse educators. Senate Bill 840 represents a meaningful step in this direction. Together, these efforts point to a broader policy imperative: strengthening the educator workforce will require both expanded pathways into the profession and competitive compensation to effectively recruit and retain educators.
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