Giving Compass' Take:

• Schools are looking for more motivated teachers in STEM but should think about how to support STEM training to increase teacher effectiveness. 

• How are educators and nonprofits addressing the dual issues of teacher shortages in general and the decrease in quality STEM teachers?

• Read about DigiLEARN, an organization that is surveying teachers to respond to their needs. 

School leaders sometimes wrongly assume they have to choose between focusing on student learning and teacher learning, but a report from 100Kin10 suggests the two go hand-in-hand — when teachers feel supported, they keep their jobs longer, leading to students getting more effective lessons and performing better, eSchool News reports.

The report highlights several catalysts — which could improve STEM learning  — and uses them to discuss three major challenges in teachers' work environments: professional growth during the school day, collaborative opportunities for teachers during the school day and school leaders' responsibility to create a positive place to work.

Well-defined roles for teacher leaders, ongoing support, standards-aligned curriculum and resources for professional growth activities can encourage more teacher development and collaboration.

As STEM skills are becoming increasingly popular and in demand, schools are looking for more ways to hire qualified, experienced and motivated teachers in those subject areas — and retain them by giving them the support they need.

As it stands, some schools are struggling to not only find sufficient numbers of teachers to fill their classrooms, but they're also facing shortages in educators with specialized STEM skills and experience. Professional learning resources for teachers, as well as more time to access these resources, can help educators get what they need to be effective and knowledgeable in the classroom — to help themselves and their students.

Giving teachers choice in the form and content of professional development is likely to make them more engaged, enthusiastic and effective in the long run. And by letting teachers work together and share ideas — which many say they don't have enough time to do as is — they gain more expertise in their subject area as well as more connections with other school staff members.

Read the full article about supporting STEM teachers by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive