Listen to a promo of the series

PART 1 (aired March 1, 2001): A draft report from the Illinois State Board of Education suggests the number of teachers eligible for retirement will increase by 40 percent in the next three years. But some school districts are already struggling to find new teachers. Dave Dickey highlights one downstate district's recent attempts to hire teachers.

PART 2 (aired March 8, 2001): Dave examines why Illinois suddenly finds itself facing teacher shortages that state superintendent Glenn McGee calls "a potential impending crisis."

PART 3 (aired March 15, 2001): 20 percent of teachers will be eligible for retirement by 2003. Hiring and retaining new teachers will be crucial in the years ahead. But school districts have not done a very good job of holding on to new teachers. Some lawmakers want to help -- they're calling for signing bonuses and participation of novice teachers in some kind of mentoring program. Dave visits one such program and examines what it will take to make the statewide initiative a success.

PART 4 (aired March 22, 2001):  The Illinois State Board of Education warns that the state faces a severe shortage of school administrators -- building principals and regional and district superintendents. 60 percent of all principals and 80 percent of superintendents are older than 50. Finding replacements will be a challenge -- and convincing them to stay on the job for more than a year may be even tougher. Dave explores the pending administrator crunch.

PART 5 (aired March 29, 2001): As of the beginning of the year, Illinois is requiring its teachers to develop plans for professional development in order to retain their state teaching certificates. Dave examines how some teachers view the process, and whether it could contribute to teacher shortages.

PART 6 (aired April 5, 2001): Some Illinois teachers and administrators are saying developing alternative certification standards could ease the state's potential teacher crisis. But others worry that such standards could "dumb-down" teaching quality and create resentment among teachers earning their certificates through college. Dave reports on the alternative certificate debate.

PART 7 (aired April 12, 2001): There are severe shortages for special education teachers in Illinois. This past school year over six hundred positions went unfilled. Now a federal court ruling known as Corey H means most current special education teachers must retrain or lose their jobs. Dave examines the potential impact of Corey-H.

PART 8 (aired April 19, 2001): When it comes to hiring new teachers in Illinois, it's a buyers market. Graduates of state schools often have multiple offers -- both from in state and out of state. Dave recently went to a teacher's job fair and has this report on just how competitive states are becoming for Illinois teacher graduates.

PART 9 (aired June 1, 2001): Dave reports on the dilemma Illinois colleges and universities face in order to respond to a federal judge's timeline to redesign special education curriculum.

PART 10 (aired July 23, 2001): By 2003 one in every five Illinois educators will be eligible to retire. Many say the state needs to spend more money on education -- money to increase teachers' starting salaries and money for retention and training. But Dave reports that how much money -- and where to find it -- are questions with elusive answers.