Education Policy, Business and Technology

Sacramento district can't find enough teachers, so it turns to Philippines for help

Sacramento Bee: Officials at the Sacramento City Unified School District took an international field trip to the Philippines this year – to hire teachers.

The district says it has no choice but to look abroad to fill vacancies, as schools around California and the nation face a shortage of employable teachers.

Sacramento City Unified is the only district in the greater Sacramento region hiring from the Philippines through a program that began last year.

In the Philippines, English is widely taught in schools and is an official language, along with Tagalog. The country, which was governed by the United States before World War II, retains a similar school system, which is why teachers can easily transfer their credentials to the U.S., according to Ligaya Avenida, CEO of AIC Inc., the consulting firm that brings teachers over.

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