For years, the United States has grappled with a crippling teacher shortage. COVID-19 exacerbated the problem as teachers took early retirement or left the profession altogether. As a result, some school districts have transitioned to four-day school weeks with a resulting loss of instructional time; others have continued to lower the requirements necessary to become a teacher.

Oklahoma recently introduced a program that allows the school board to hire anyone who passes a background check to teach. In Arizona, the state board of education voted to allow substitute teachers to serve as teachers for the entire year, even with just a high school diploma.

In Hawaii, the situation is just as dire. We use uncertified emergency hires to fill classroom vacancies. When this option is exhausted, we fill classes with long-term substitute teachers who are only required to have a high school diploma similar to Arizona.

At the primary level, when students are taught by an uncertified teacher, they struggle to develop foundational skills and learning deficiencies are compounded over time. At the secondary level, the issue is even more glaring; a student might be taught by a teacher who is not only uncertified to teach the subject but has never even taken the course they are assigned to teach.

Consequences of this problem show up everywhere, such as in reporting on the country’s biggest-ever drop in math proficiency or the struggle to recruit service members due to historically low ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) scores. While COVID-19 is often cited as the reason, the truth is that the U.S. has ranked lower than other advanced industrial nations for years. In 2021 the U.S. ranked 30th in math among 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and last among the G7.

If we want to produce citizens who contribute to the economic and social fabric of America, we must change our approach.

The key to reversing stagnant student outcomes is to ensure every classroom is filled with a qualified, certified teacher. It has been well-researched that teacher quality is the most important school-related factor affecting student achievement. Placing a high-quality teacher in every public school classroom would have an immediate impact on student outcomes, ultimately raising performance levels in key indicators associated with content proficiency.

In terms of long-term impact, the number of high school graduates equipped with the skills necessary to enter the military, post-secondary school or a high-wage, high-demand job field would rise.

The most immediate way to increase the appeal of becoming a teacher is free college. Free college is one of the reasons people enlist in the military and is a recruitment tool used in many industries.

Several companies, including Walt Disney World, Chipotle, Target and Starbucks, provide employees with paid college tuition along with other incentives. These forward-thinking organizations have incorporated free college as part of their long-term talent recruitment and development tactics and the same must be done to draw quality candidates into the teaching profession.

While free college won’t single-handedly fix the teacher shortage crisis, it will make the teaching profession a more attractive career choice. In conjunction with other incentives, it would increase the supply of high-quality classroom teachers, which directly correlates to improved student outcomes.

Higher student achievement means our nation will be better poised to succeed on the global stage with a strong workforce well-equipped to contribute to our economy and society.

If for-profit organizations have found innovative ways to attract and hold onto talent such as offering a free college education, it’s high time we do the same for teaching. After all, teaching is the only profession that develops the workforce for every other sector.

Christine Russo, a public school teacher in Ewa Beach, is a 2022-2024 Hawaii State Teacher Fellow and a nationally board certified teacher.