The Future of Education
Source: Dan Goldhaber with data from National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Surveys and National Teacher and Principal Surveys
So, How Can That be?
To understand why teacher shortages have become national headlines, it's helpful to start the story before the pandemic, when complaints about teacher shortages were common.
Goldhaber said there never were shortages everywhere or among all types of teachers. Needs were concentrated in low-income schools and particular specialties. Wealthy suburban schools might have dozens of applicants for elementary school teachers.
In contrast, schools in economically lacking urban neighborhoods and remote rural areas might need help finding certified teachers in special education or teaching students who are learning English.
The reasons for the different shortages varied.
Many teachers go into special education but soon quit the classroom. Teaching students with disabilities can be challenging. Fewer aspiring teachers opt to specialize in math or science instruction. So there needs to be more interest at the start. Low-income schools need help at both ends. Fewer people want to teach at low-income schools, so departures are high.
Heather Schwartz, a researcher at RAND, a non-profit research organization, says her biggest worry isn't current teacher shortages but teacher surpluses when pandemic funds run out after 2024. In addition, falling U.S. birth rates will further squeeze school budgets because funding correlates with student enrollment. As a result, schools are likely to lay off many educators in the years ahead. "It's not easy for schools to shed staff and maintain quality instruction for students," said Schwartz.
This post was supposed to be about an entirely different (yet equally important) topic concerning WHY it is important to check our own bias (as parent volunteers) and help destigmatize mental health within the classroom, which WILL come because I have a whole lot of perspective to write regarding that.
However, if you know me, you'll sense that I'm about to say, "Everything is connected." And it is! Just re-read what the professional researcher, Goldhaber, stated above, "Many teachers go into special education but soon quit the classroom. Teaching students with disabilities is a hard job."
We can only talk about one thing with the other. And, IF we do run out of pandemic money after 2024, and politics have yet to set a standard on a 'respectable' teaching wage, I foresee many parents, myself included, will attempt to fill in some of the gaps as parent volunteers to keep our schools running to the best of their ability.
Furthermore, with the destigmatizing of WHAT a learning disability includes and how they impact all of our classrooms, I hope that more silent strugglers who (feel they) need to hide their learning challenges will, in time, be more confident to self-advocate for who they indeed are and receive equitable learning for all.
I loved this article about utilizing peer support within the school to destigmatize human challenges. Please check it out!
Opinion - A Simple but Powerful Way to Destigmatize Learning Differences