The teacher shortage is Pennsylvania was the focus of a summit in Harrisburg.Educators, lawmakers and advocates talked about why many schools are struggling to find teachers and discussed ways to address the problem. The state said the number of people entering the teaching profession has plummeted by thousands over the last decade. With so many school districts needing educators, that means districts are fighting over a smaller number of candidates."Right now, we have teachers who are shopping around and trying to find the best fit for them. Sometimes when that happens, that kind of leaves the pool a little empty," said Camille Hopkins, with the School District of Lancaster.Jason Dougal, with the National Center on Education and the Economy, said students suffer when high quality educators aren't in classrooms."Not only do students suffer academically, but they suffer psychologically and socially and emotionally. Teachers can be such an incredible support system for students who spend six to eight hours a day with teachers," he said.According to Dougal, many educators said working conditions and lack of support are driving them out of schools. "So, one of the solutions that we're really focusing on is teacher apprenticeships – opportunities for teachers in their early parts of their career to be supported by high quality mentors," he said.Lawmakers said there may be ways to cut the red tape involved in hiring teachers. "Agreements with opening up a pathway for teachers who reside in other states to be able to more easily transfer and educate here, to teach here in Pennsylvania," Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster County) said.Aument said a bipartisan commission will look at issues related to education, including the teacher shortage.