Remote Possibilities: A Natural Experiment Examining How Atypical Student Teaching Circumstances Affected Entry Into the Profession

The purpose of this study was to examine music and visual art teacher preparation program completers’ transition into the teacher labor force during the pandemic as compared to earlier cohorts and to non-arts teacher candidates. Leveraging linked administrative data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System, we examined the teacher workforce entry of teacher preparation program completers who graduated between the 2013–2014 and 2021–2022 academic years (N = 15,580). We analyzed data using a multivariate linear probability model and an interrupted time series quasi-experimental design. There was a significant increase in entry rate among music and visual arts teacher candidates who completed their student teaching remotely, but the entry rate remained stable among non-arts remote student teachers. Music, visual arts, and non-arts teachers who student taught in-person with covid mitigation measures demonstrated a drop in teacher workforce entry rates. Implications for teacher shortages and suggestions for future research are discussed.