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There is a shortage of educators in the United States, but understanding the details is very important. First, this is more than a teacher. This his 270,000 figure includes bus drivers, security guards and other support staff.Second, education is not simple About getting enough warm bodies into the classroom. Having effective and qualified teachers and staff. The best analysis of the situation, done this fall by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, shows a shortage of nearly 2% of teachers, but now unqualified teachers make up more than 5% of her I have a job. Third, the shortage is not nationwide. In some schools and some subjects it is even worse.
Nearly half of public schools were struggling to fill at least one teacher vacancy as of October, according to a recently released Ministry of Education survey. However, schools in areas with high poverty rates were significantly more likely to have vacancies. Similarly, school districts report particular difficulties finding special education, computer science, foreign language teachers, bus drivers, and protective staff.
This is not a new phenomenon, but many Signs point to it getting worse during the pandemic.experienced teacher Early in the pandemic, there were extreme levels of burnout and safety concerns with Zoom classes.Then came the culture wars that put teachers and staff down Constant scrutiny of conversations Including history, racism and sexuality.Resulting in mass resignations, a tight labor market and rapid wage increases in other occupations, As a result, some teachers and staff have taken early retirement. Some people quit their jobs and take other jobs.Among recent graduates I decided not to go into education at all.
There are two obvious lessons to be learned from all this. First, the lack of real-time data on the educator shortage in the United States in 2022 is ridiculous. States and districts need to understand where the problem lies. Where data is not available or published. Second, we need higher wages in education, especially for some roles.
specific location is clear It’s harder to recruit, and has been for years. Some places are starting to experiment with bonus payouts. Hawaii, for example, began offering a $10,000 annual bonus to special education teachers in January 2020. The result was an immediate surge in special education teacher recruitment and retention for the 2020-2021 school year. In Hawaii, she likewise offers a $3,000 to her $8,000 “difference” for teachers willing to attend schools that have long been understaffed. The results have been so positive that state legislators continue to fund the initiative.
The labor market may ease a bit in 2023, but no one expects it to return to the early 2010s when workers were plentiful and jobs were scarce. Retail giant Target is now paying some employees up to $24 an hour to start. State and local legislators must adapt to this new reality.
Teaching has long been considered a vocation, but that doesn’t mean teachers and staff won’t retire if they are significantly underpaid. earned about 5% less than college graduates in other occupations on average. Today their salary is down by nearly 25%. The report concludes that while there is no shortage of people wanting to work in the education sector, there is a shortage of qualified teachers. “Willing to work at current wages and current working conditions”
Communities can either pay a lot of money to attract and retain educators, or lower their standards. A better solution is obvious.
Matthew Kraft, associate professor of education and economics at Brown University, said: .
Schools now rest on a massive cash infusion from federal pandemic relief aid that must be spent by 2024. If this were the private sector, that money would already be spent on higher salaries and bonuses, especially if they were hard to meet. role.
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