Bush Foundation launches ad campaign to recruit teachers

The Bush Foundation has released two TV spots in its effort to attract the next generation of teachers.

The ads will air in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, states in which the Bush Foundation is working on a $40 million project with 14 colleges to recruit, train, place and support teachers.

Foundation President Peter Hutchinson said, despite concerns over budget-related layoffs in school districts, there will be plenty of room for more teachers in the future.

The foundation expects half of the three states' 50,000 teachers will leave their jobs or retire in the next decade.

"This advertising campaign and these programs are really aimed at teachers who are going to enter the workforce in two or three years," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the ultimate goal of the foundation's teacher recruitment and training effort is to shrink the achievement gap between white students and students of color.