The Rise in Emergency Teaching Licenses Signals a Shift and a Call to Strengthen the Pathway

The Rise in Emergency Teaching Licenses Signals a Shift and a Call to Strengthen the Pathway 

Recent reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Nov. 10, 2025), drawing on a new Wisconsin Policy Forum analysis, underscores a reality many school leaders already know: Wisconsin’s teacher workforce is changing. 

Since the 2021–22 school year, the state has seen nearly a 20% increase in emergency teaching licenses, with approximately 4,000 issued in the 2023–24 school year alone. These licenses allow individuals with a bachelor’s degree in any field to teach while working toward full certification. This is a critical staffing tool for districts facing persistent shortages. Statewide data makes clear that emergency licensure is no longer a temporary measure. It is part of Wisconsin’s educator pipeline. The question is no longer whether alternative pathways should exist but whether they are aligned to the areas of greatest need. 

Where Wisconsin’s Teacher Shortages Are Most Acute 

According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, emergency licenses are concentrated in specific, long-standing shortage areas, including: 

• Cross-categorical special education 

• Represents 22% of all emergency licenses, despite accounting for only 6% of licensed teaching positions statewide 

• English as a Second Language (ESL) and related roles 

• High concentrations of emergency licenses serving multilingual learners, particularly in urban districts 

• World languages (especially Spanish) 

• Emergency licenses in Spanish increased 49% between 2022 and 2024 

• Physical education 

• Emergency licenses grew 96% over the same period 

These are not temporary shortages. These positions reflect systemic workforce gaps that the traditional pipeline has struggled to fill. 

Emergency Licenses: The Pathway Matters More than the Label 

Concerns raised by national organizations about the preparedness of emergency-licensed educators are understandable, particularly in high-need areas like special education and services for multilingual learners. But framing the issue as quality versus access misses the point. As Policy Forum researcher Don Cramer noted, the alternative is often a series of substitute teachers, not a fully licensed educator waiting in reserve. The real determinant of quality is the preparation program supporting the educator once they enter the classroom. 

What the Workforce Data Shows About Who Is Serving High-Need Schools 

Data from DPI’s Educator Preparation Program Report and Workforce Analysis – 2023 (Table 31) illustrates where newly licensed teachers are actually employed as teachers. Distribution of First-Time Teaching Licenses (2014–23), Teaching in 2023–24 by Educator Preparation Sector: 

• Public universities 

• 50.1% teaching in rural or town schools 

• Private colleges and universities 

• More evenly distributed, with the largest share in suburban schools 

• Nontraditional educator preparation programs 

• 47.3% teaching in rural or town schools 

• 33.1% teaching in city schools 

Non-traditional programs are disproportionately placing educators in the same districts and roles where emergency licenses needs are most common, both rural and urban districts. 

How Educate Pathways Is Intentionally Aligned to Shortage Areas 

Within the non-traditional sector, Educate Pathways (formerly Educate-WI) stands out not just for scale, but for strategic alignment to Wisconsin’s highest-need license areas. Between 2014 and 2023 Educate Pathways: 

• Was the state’s largest nontraditional educator preparation provider supporting 733 first-time teaching licenses, well ahead of the next-largest program, which supported 336 

• Placed 65.2% of its program completers in rural or town schools 

• Provided licensure pathways across 21 teacher certification areas to meet local and regional staffing shortages 

Educate Pathways supports licensure in high-demand fields and offers targeted pathways for career changers entering the profession including: 

• Cross-Categorical Special Education 

• The largest single category of emergency licensure in Wisconsin 

• English as a Second Language (ESL) 

• Supporting multilingual learners across urban and rural districts 

• World Languages 

• Including Spanish, one of the fastest-growing emergency license areas 

• Elementary and Middle-Level Education 

• Persistent staffing needs, especially in rural districts 

A Shift in Who Becomes a Teacher and How We Support Them 

The growth in emergency licenses reflects a broader transformation in who enters the profession: second-career educators, paraprofessionals, and community members stepping forward to teach. The question facing schools is no longer whether this shift should occur. It already has. The real solution is identifying high-quality, targeted preparation programs that: 

• Focus on shortage areas 

• Serve rural and urban communities 

• Prepare educators for the students they are teaching today 

Strengthening the Pipeline, Not Lowering the Bar 

Every child deserves a licensed, well-prepared teacher. Meeting that goal will require multiple pathways, especially in fields where shortages persist year after year. The data shows: 

• Emergency licenses are filling real gaps 

• Non-traditional programs are delivering educators where they are most needed 

• Educate Pathways is intentionally aligned to Wisconsin’s most critical license shortage areas 

The future of our educator workforce depends not on limiting access, but on strengthening the pathways that work while maintaining high expectations for preparation and quality. 

For administrators making staffing decisions and educators currently teaching on emergency licenses, preparation programs aren’t just policy, they shape classroom stability, instructional quality, and long-term retention. Educate Pathways is not a modified version of a traditional model; it is a purpose-built, nontraditional preparation program designed around the realities of today’s educator workforce. Coursework is aligned to effective practice, grounded in the reality of classrooms candidates are already serving, and structured to support working professionals without compromising rigor or accountability. Learn more about how Educate Pathways can strengthen your district’s workforce and help emergency license teachers move confidently toward full certification by visiting our website at educatepathways.com