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A Service of the Texas School Public Relations Association: Demand exceeds supply…
Demand exceeded supply for teachers for grades K-12 in the nation's public schools by more than 100,000 positions in 2019, according to the Learning Policy Institute, a Washington-based education policy think tank that has extensively studied the causes and effects of the teacher shortage.
EduLege UpdateVolume IX, Number 43, June 21, 2021
Texas School Public Relations Association
Demand exceeded supply for teachers for grades K-12 in the nation's public schools by more than 100,000 positions in 2019, according to the Learning Policy Institute, a Washington-based education policy think tank that has extensively studied the causes and effects of the teacher shortage.
The projected number of retirements and pandemic- and burnout-related exits from the teaching profession in coming years far exceeds the declining number of students who are pursuing teaching preparation programs.
More than 270,000 public school teachers are projected to leave the profession between 2016 and 2026, according to government data. Polling by the National Education Association shows that nearly one-in-three teachers said that Covid-19 has made them more likely to resign or retire early.
“We have to be worried about all of that. This is a crucial moment to acknowledge teachers and acknowledge what the future looks like to support them,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, who led the Biden education policy transition team, and was considered to lead the US Department of Education under the Biden Administration. “This is the moment for all of us, and the federal government, to step up and support teachers, and teaching.”
Reasons behind the decline in the number of students who are willing to enter into the teaching pipeline are plentiful, but experts said student debt is one of the key reasons.“People who want to go into teaching can't go into a lot of debt, so alleviating debt levels for people who want to be teachers is very important,” added Ms. Darling-Hammond, who also serves as President of the California State Board of Education.
Included in the American Families Plan's $9 billion to address the teacher shortage is money to train, equip, and diversify the nation's teacher corps.
Nearly one-third of that $9 billion would go toward creating and expanding “Grow Your Own” programs, which aim, particularly in areas with large populations of students of color, to recruit, develop, and retain teachers who are already in the community, as well as other teacher residency programs.
The proposal also includes $1.6 billion to help increase the pipeline of particularly in-demand educators, like special education and bilingual education teachers, as well as $2 billion for support programs for teachers of color.