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Rural school districts in Texas are switching to four-day weeks this fall due to lack of staff. Florida is asking veterans with no teaching background to enter classrooms. Arizona is allowing college students to step in and instruct children.
The teacher shortage in America has hit crisis levels — and school officials everywhere are scrambling to ensure that, as students return to classrooms, someone will be there to educate them.
“I have never seen it this bad,” Dan Domenech, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, said of the teacher shortage. “Right now it’s number one on the list of issues that are concerning school districts ... necessity is the mother of invention, and hard-pressed districts are going to have to come up with some solutions.”
Students this year need summer school. Some districts can’t staff it.
It is hard to know exactly how many U.S. classrooms are short of teachers for the 2022-2023 school year; no national database precisely tracks the issue. But state- and district-level reports have emerged across the country detailing staffing gaps that stretch from the hundreds to the thousands — and remain wide open as summer winds rapidly to a close.
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The Nevada State Education Association estimated that roughly 3,000 teaching jobs remained unfilled across the state’s 17 school districts as of early August. In a January report, the Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents found that 88 percent of school districts statewide were having “problems with teacher shortages” — while 2,040 teacher openings were either empty or filled with a “less than qualified” hire. And in the Houston area, the largest five school districts are all reporting that between 200 and 1,000 teaching positions remain open.
Carlton Jenkins, superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, said teachers are so scarce that superintendents across the country have developed a whisper network to alert each other when educators move between states.
“We’re at a point right now, where if I have people who want to move to California, I call up and give a reference very quick,” he said. “And if someone is coming from another place — say, Minnesota — I have superintendent colleagues in Minnesota, they call and say, ‘Hey, I have teachers coming your way.’ ”
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Why are America’s schools so short-staffed? Experts point to a confluence of factors including pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay and some educators’ sense that politicians and parents — and sometimes their own school board members — have little respect for their profession amid an escalating educational culture war that has seen many districts and states pass policies and laws restricting what teachers can say about U.S. history, race, racism, gender and sexual orientation, as well as LGBTQ issues.
“The political situation in the United States, combined with legitimate aftereffects of covid, has created this shortage,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “This shortage is contrived.”
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The stopgap solutions for lack of staff run the gamut, from offering teachers better pay to increasing the pool of people who qualify as educators to bumping up class sizes. But many of these temporary fixes are likely to harm students by diminishing their ability to learn, predicted Dawn Etcheverry, president of the Nevada State Education Association.
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“When you start to double classes, teachers don’t have that one-on-one with the students, that personal ability to understand what the student needs” — both academically and socially, Etcheverry said.
Danika Mills, a former school-based therapist and state director of Unite Us, a technology company that connects health and social services providers, said this diminishment in the quality of education is coming at the worst possible moment. America’s schoolchildren are still struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, she said, and the havoc months of online learning wreaked on students’ academic progress, social skills and mental health.
“We know students of all ages suffered steep declines in academic achievement during the pandemic and now is the time to course-correct those changes,” Mills said. “Instead, I think and fear we may be facing an even bigger decline.”
Behavioral issues, absenteeism at schools increase, federal data shows
Nevada’s Clark County School District, which serves 320,000 students, is one of many school systems taking a scattershot approach to staff shortages by trying several solutions at once. In hopes of shrinking its roughly 1,300 teaching vacancies, the district has raised the starting teacher salary by $7,000 and is offering a $4,000 “relocation bonus” to new teachers who move from out of state or more than 100 miles. In an interview, Superintendent Jesus F. Jara said the district is also granting employees a “retention bonus” of up to $5,000 for staying in their jobs.
But, with school slated to start in a week, the district is still only 92 percent staffed, Jara said. And — despite “around-the-clock” efforts from his human resources team — he does not believe the district will close the gap in time.
“I’m still worried, I am still losing sleep at night, and I’m not going to fill the rest of the 8 percent of our classrooms by Monday,” Jara said.
Come Aug. 8, the district will be forced to deploy patching measures, Jara said — including pulling administrators from the central office to work as substitutes and combining multiple classes together in large spaces such as auditoriums or gymnasiums.
“Band-aid-wise, I think they’re doing whatever they can,” said Jeff Horn, executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators. “It’s a mess.”
Other districts and states are attempting more unorthodox fixes. A new state law in Arizona, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) last month, allows college students to take teaching jobs. A similar law, which took effect in Florida on July 1, offers K-12 teaching jobs to military veterans who served for at least four years. The veterans do not need bachelor’s degrees but must have earned at least 60 college credits while maintaining a grade-point average of at least 2.5.
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Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said the need for teachers in his state is dire: His association estimates there are at least 8,000 teacher vacancies this year, up from 5,000 the year before. But Spar does not believe the veterans program is “really a solution,” as it may lead to unqualified individuals entering classrooms.
“I think we all appreciate what our military veterans have done for our country in terms of protecting our freedoms both here and abroad,” he said. “But just because you were in the military does not mean you will be a great teacher.”
Meanwhile, the school board and superintendent in Arizona’s Tucson Unified School District are considering making up for a dearth of math teachers — the system is missing 24 of them, along with 102 other teachers — by sending a small number of students into online learning for part of the day. The district may hire virtual math teachers from a Chicago-based online education company, the Tucson Sentinel reported. The superintendent did not respond to a request for comment.
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And in Texas’s Mineral Wells Independent School District and Chico Independent School District, officials have switched to a four-day school week for the upcoming academic year. In both districts, which are small and rural, school leaders said the change is meant to attract and retain teachers amid significant staff shortages, the Texas Tribune reported. Neither district responded to a request for comment.
In Wisconsin’s Madison school district, superintendent Jenkins said that, a month away from the start of school on Sept. 1, officials are still working to fill 199 teacher vacancies and 124 non-teaching positions.
But no children will lack an adult in the classroom come fall, he said, because the district has managed to recruit 269 qualified substitute teachers — primarily by raising substitute pay rates this spring. Jenkins said he hopes that, over the course of the year, the district can convince at least some of these substitutes to convert to full-time teachers.
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“We’re just going to go after them,” Jenkins said. Initial enticements will include “some immediate supplies. Every teacher likes their calendar, right? So we’re providing calendars, little things for them — and we have some other things planned that I don’t want to reveal, because I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
Schools are struggling to meet rising mental health needs, data shows
In Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia’s largest district, Superintendent Michelle Reid said 97 percent of teaching positions are filled about three weeks before the semester begins.
Reid said the district of nearly 179,000 students is now making an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to fill those jobs.
“We are recruiting and processing applications and hiring educators around-the-clock, really,” she said. “It’s our intent to continue to recruit and hire teachers daily as we approach the start of the school year.”
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Nonetheless, the district has begun developing backup plans, Reid said. Although the details vary campus to campus, one possible strategy is to send administrators with teaching licenses back into classrooms — but “we hope we will not have to utilize that.”
Leslie Houston, president of the Fairfax Education Association, said she has never in her career seen so many teachers leaving the job because they feel disrespected, primarily by politicians and some parents.
“When people were beating up on teachers and just being real nasty about what we’re doing and what we’re not doing,” Houston said, “I don’t think they were really thinking, ‘Who will teach my children?’ ”
correction
A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the Tucson Unified School District as the Tucson Independent School District. This article has been corrected.
The pandemic’s impact on education
The latest: Updated coronavirus booster shots are now available for children as young as 5. To date, more than 10.5 million children have lost one or both parents or caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the classroom: Amid a teacher shortage, states desperate to fill teaching jobs have relaxed job requirements as staffing crises rise in many schools. American students’ test scores have even plummeted to levels unseen for decades. One D.C. school is using COVID relief funds to target students on the verge of failure.
Higher education: College and university enrollment is nowhere near pandemic level, experts worry. ACT and SAT testing have rebounded modestly since the massive disruptions early in the coronavirus pandemic, and many colleges are also easing mask rules.
DMV news: Most of Prince George’s students are scoring below grade level on district tests. D.C. Public School’s new reading curriculum is designed to help improve literacy among the city’s youngest readers.
FAQs
Why is there a shortage of teachers in the US? ›
In August, the Economic Policy Institute released data that found teachers make about 23% less in their profession than “comparable college graduates” in other fields. This low pay, combined with teaching during a pandemic and other stressors, has caused many teachers to resign.
Does USA have shortage of teachers? ›The National Education Association estimates there's a shortage of roughly 300,000 teachers and staff across the U.S. The teacher shortage is particularly pronounced in rural school districts, where the need for special education teachers and STEM teachers is high.
How bad is the teacher shortage? ›With all this data, the researchers estimate that there are more than 36,500 teacher vacancies in the nation. They also estimate that there are more than 163,500 positions filled by teachers who aren't fully certified or are not certified in the subject area they're teaching.
Why are teachers leaving the profession 2022? ›The tension and responsibility that educators like Gillum faced during the pandemic — combined with long-standing issues plaguing the profession, plus the coarsening of debates about classroom control, teacher pay and respect — have caused many to make the tough choice to leave the classroom.
What state has the highest teacher shortage? ›Mississippi saw the highest teacher-to-student vacancy rate in the 2021-22 school year. The state reported having nearly 69 missing teachers per 10,000 students.
How can we prevent teacher shortage? ›Increase Funding for Teachers and Schools
Federal or state grants might draw more prospective teachers to preparation programs in academic areas where there is a scarcity of teachers. Federal programs for college loan forgiveness might encourage more teachers to look for jobs in high-needs schools.
Teacher shortages are real, maybe not as dramatic as the media have reported, but it's happening. US Bureau Of Labor Statistics reports that in July 2022, there were around 270,000 fewer school workers than in January 2020. Some states are experiencing a more severe shortage, which has been going on for over a decade.
Why don't they pay teachers more? ›A number of factors contribute to how far a teacher's salary goes—family structure, caregiving responsibilities, health issues, and student loans among them. While many teachers in the U.S. must work second jobs to live comfortably, plenty do not. Some of them live in states that pay better than others.
Why are teachers leaving the profession? ›Researchers polled more than 4,600 TK-12th grade teachers across the state between May 24 and June 6. The findings show that while many teachers find their work rewarding, a majority said they felt exhausted and stressed — with burnout cited as the top reason for leaving the profession.
What type of teacher is most in demand? ›Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand.
How many teachers quit in America? ›
Overall, more than 44 percent of new teachers leave the profession within five years.
Where are the most teacher shortages? ›Alabama, which had over 3,000 vacancies in 2021-22, sits in stark contrast to Illinois, where 1,703 positions were left unfilled. Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi also experienced high raw number of vacancies in the 2021-22 school year, each missing at least 3,000 teachers.
What age do most teachers retire? ›This means that someone who enters teaching before age 25 with a bachelor's and accumulates 30 or more years of service can usually retire sometime between age 55 and 60. In most states teachers are eligible for retirement without penalty once they turn 60 even with less than 30 years of service.
Are U.S. teachers overworked? ›The pandemic and shifting political landscape have left teachers feeling overworked and undervalued. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions. More than four out of every 10 teachers said they feel burned out “always” or “very often” at work.
Can you make 6 figures as a teacher? ›Yes, it's true. Teachers who've been on the job for several years can earn six figures in many states. Sure, teaching isn't the highest paying gig out there, with a median salary of $57,949 ($3,000 below other professions that require a BA degree).
Why are teachers quitting in Texas? ›Teachers point to low pay, lack of respect from both the community and elected officials, excessive workloads and pandemic school disruptions as reasons they want to leave. In the classroom, about 98% of respondents say they have to buy their own supplies, with the median cost being about $500.
Which teachers are most in demand in the United States? ›- English as a Second Language (ESL). ESL educators are some of the most in demand teachers. ...
- Math Teaching. Another teacher subject in demand is mathematics. ...
- Science Teaching. What about science teachers? ...
- Social Studies Teaching. ...
- Special Education Teaching.
There are a number of reasons for the shortage: Experts attribute law pay, testing, stringent schedules and new laws all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a flood of teachers resigning.
Will the teacher shortage continue? ›Teacher shortages continue as the 2022-2023 school year kicks off: 'We don't have a workforce' | Fox Business.
Why do we need more teachers? ›Knowledge and education are the basis for all things that can be accomplished in life. Teachers provide the power of education to today's youth, thereby giving them the possibility for a better future. Teachers simplify the complex, and make abstract concepts accessible to students.
Is teacher shortage real? ›
Since well before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have had difficulty recruiting enough teachers in some regions, particularly in parts of the South. Fields like special education and bilingual education also have been critically short on teachers nationwide.
How many teachers are quitting 2022? ›Almost 2 in 5 teachers plan to quit in the next two years, according to a June survey of members of the American Federation of Teachers union.
What is the teacher burnout rate? ›Female teachers in particular are especially burned out, at 55%, with male teachers following at 44%.
What percent of teachers left the profession? ›8, asked 488 school and district leaders what percentage of their teachers left the profession by retiring or resigning “in the past year.” The typical, or median, respondent's answer was 7 percent.
What country pays teachers the most? ›Luxembourg. According to an OECD report, Luxembourg (a European country) has the highest-paid teachers in the world. Another source indicates that a bachelor's degree holder is entitled to an initial salary of €67,000 (US $70,323.20) per annum at the start of their teaching career.
Which states pay teachers the most? ›Pennsylvania, California and New York have the highest average teacher salaries in the country, compared to all other occupations.
Are teachers really underpaid? ›An extensive literature that compares the wages of public school teachers to that of other college-educated individuals generally finds that teachers earn significantly lower wages than their private sector counterparts.
What can teachers do instead of teaching? ›- School Guidance Counselor. Counseling is a natural choice for many former teachers. ...
- School Administrator. ...
- Instructional Coordinator. ...
- Educational Consultant. ...
- Librarian. ...
- College or University Academic Advisor.
There are several examples of posts I shared from people who left teaching and described feeling a lot happier, less stressed and healthier. They also reported having more time for their own families.
How long does the average teacher teach? ›| Years of teaching experience and grade level taught | Total | Rural |
|---|---|---|
| Remote | ||
| Average number of years | 14.2 | 15.3 |
| Years of teaching experience | ||
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 |
What month do most new teachers get hired? ›
April/May: This is one of the best times to apply for teaching jobs, as many openings are posted during the spring. Job fairs are often held during this time, which are a great opportunity to network and learn more about schools you might like to teach at.
What is the best subject to teach? ›- Art.
- Biology.
- Chemistry.
- English.
- French.
- Health & PE.
- Mathematics.
- Music Education.
- Elementary school teachers. Elementary school teachers play a critical role in establishing the foundation for learning. ...
- Middle school teachers. Another highly critical period in a student's life is middle school. ...
- High school teachers. ...
- Special education teachers. ...
- ESL teachers.
The Workload is Too Much
The stress and pressure that comes from the job have become increasingly overwhelming. Long gone are the days of just teaching content. Teachers are expected to do more with less time and less financial support. Each year something more is added to our plates, but nothing is taken away.
| Years Experience | Public | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Years Experience 1 | Public $40,540 | Private $29,940 |
| Years Experience 2-4 | Public $41,480 | Private $33,540 |
| Years Experience 5-9 | Public $47,300 | Private $37,220 |
| Years Experience 10-14 | Public $54,860 | Private $40,440 |
A loss of interest, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, irritability, and other symptoms of ill mental health may also be present (Capone, Joshanloo, & Park, 2019; Madigan & Kim, 2021). When teachers are experiencing burnout, they may feel like they are in survival mode each day or react with a short temper.
Will there be a demand for teachers in the future? ›California is ranked last in the nation (50th) in student-to-teacher ratios, and would need 100,000 more teachers right now just to bring that ratio to the national average. Over the next 10 years, the state would need to replace 106,000 teachers (one-third of the workforce) just to maintain current staffing levels.
How does teacher shortage affect students? ›Teacher shortages can significantly depress student achievement, as schools often cancel courses due to vacancies or staff classes with substitutes and underprepared teachers who are not certified to teach their subject matter.
When should I leave my teaching job? ›- Teaching leaves you more exhausted than it leaves you energized/excited.
- Your personal life is suffering due to the stress of the position.
- You are certain that switching grades, schools, or districts will not help you.
How long will my family continue to receive a pension? If you were in service on or after 1 January 2007 any adult pension will be paid for your beneficiary's lifetime.
Is a teacher pension better than a 401K? ›
Data, research, and the experiences of educators nationwide all show that defined benefit plans (pensions) are far superior to defined contribution options (401Ks). Here's why. Most educators won't face a choice between a pension or a 401K.
What state has the best teacher retirement? ›| Rank | State | Overall Retirement Benefits Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 94.20% |
| 2 | Tennessee | 88.20% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 78.70% |
| 4 | Oregon | 78.60% |
Teachers work longer hours than many other positions, which often leads to burnout and stress. Some of the many contributing factors are lack of resources, work-life balance and political issues. Teachers are losing what little time they have for planning due to sub shortages, which is stretching them thin.
What do teachers struggle with the most? ›- Understanding the different learning challenges amongst students. ...
- Student family problems & bullying. ...
- Lack of funding. ...
- Lack of effective communication. ...
- Being encouraging and motivating under challenging times. ...
- Disciplining students. ...
- Endless paperwork & extended working hours.
Yes, educators absolutely do and can live well on a teacher's salary. It's all about what you value. If after reading this post you feel that teaching is not the best career choice for you, that's fine. It's good to know what you want vs.
What is the highest paying job in education? ›1. Chief Academic Officers. If you become a chief academic officer, you can expect to earn an average salary of $117,541 a year. Chief academic officers are also known as directors of education.
Is a master's degree worth it for teachers? ›The True Value of a Master's Degree in Education
As a teacher, you understand the value of education. With this advanced credential, you can increase your earning potential by as much as 29%, even if you don't seek a leadership role.
#1. Scarsdale Public Schools, Scarsdale, NY ($107,100)
This small district recognizes the value of their teachers which is evidenced by the average salaries landing at the top of any district in the country.
Facts about Teaching: RESPECT Project, National Conversations ...
Who is the Average U.S. Teacher? | NEA
Teaching for a living : Career Outlook: U.S
Researchers polled more than 4,600 TK-12th grade teachers across the state between May 24 and June 6. The findings show that while many teachers find their work rewarding, a majority said they felt exhausted and stressed — with burnout cited as the top reason for leaving the profession.
Why teachers are quitting in record numbers? ›
According to the poll, 26% of educators who quit their last job cited low pay or lack of benefits as a reason why they left, compared to 19% of workers in all industries who resigned because of meager pay and benefits.
Why the demand for teachers has increased? ›Shortages have been driven by a shrinking teacher education pipeline, high rates of turnover, and increased demand as districts replaced positions cut during the Great Recession and expanded staffing using federal COVID-19 relief funding to address increased vacancies and to support learning needs.
What type of teacher is in highest demand? ›Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand.
What age do most teachers retire? ›This means that someone who enters teaching before age 25 with a bachelor's and accumulates 30 or more years of service can usually retire sometime between age 55 and 60. In most states teachers are eligible for retirement without penalty once they turn 60 even with less than 30 years of service.
What can teachers do instead of teaching? ›- School Guidance Counselor. Counseling is a natural choice for many former teachers. ...
- School Administrator. ...
- Instructional Coordinator. ...
- Educational Consultant. ...
- Librarian. ...
- College or University Academic Advisor.
A number of factors contribute to how far a teacher's salary goes—family structure, caregiving responsibilities, health issues, and student loans among them. While many teachers in the U.S. must work second jobs to live comfortably, plenty do not. Some of them live in states that pay better than others.
Are teachers quitting in droves? ›According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 44 percent of public schools will report teaching vacancies at the start of this year, with more than half due to resignations.
What percentage of teachers quit in the first 5 years? ›44% of teachers quit in the first five years.
And they don't just quit their current positions - they often leave teaching altogether. This is a much higher rate than most other occupations in the U.S., including those known for high burnout rates, such as police officers.
In a typical year, about 8 percent of teachers leave, but this year saw more teachers leave in the middle of the school year than normal.
Which country needs teachers the most? ›China. Based on many studies, China runs at the top of the list. China has continued to be the most sought-after teaching destination right now because it has almost 300 million English learners.
What are the biggest challenges facing teachers today? ›
- Understanding the different learning challenges amongst students. ...
- Student family problems & bullying. ...
- Lack of funding. ...
- Lack of effective communication. ...
- Being encouraging and motivating under challenging times. ...
- Disciplining students. ...
- Endless paperwork & extended working hours.
Teaching, which was once considered a traditional profession, has once again become the new hot choice. The adoption of technology-driven teaching due to the pandemic has changed the industry and newer jobs are being created for key teaching roles.
Which states pay teachers the most? ›Pennsylvania, California and New York have the highest average teacher salaries in the country, compared to all other occupations.
What is the top salary for a teacher? ›Average teacher salaries in the U.S. range from $45,574 in Mississippi to $85,889 in New York. Additionally, these salaries can be as much as 28% lower than the average salary of a full-time, year-round employee. The highest pay in the nation for new teachers is in New York, where the average teacher salary is $85,889.
What is the highest paid teaching position? ›Professor
When you are looking for the best-paid teaching jobs for your area of interest or specialized skill, then you may consider working as a professor in a college or university. A college professor prepares course material, teaches students in a classroom environment, and grades student work.