Bertrand Arana-Moreau, Journalist
November 7, 2023
As schools are beginning to start the new school year on a positive note, there are several negative aspects that have been plaguing schools since the pandemic hit the U.S. three years ago. The increase in teacher shortages has begun to deteriorate school systems, which has led schools to: “double up classrooms, move courses online instead of teaching in-person, and employ individuals that are considered ‘unqualified teachers’ by critics” as stated by CNN. There are many factors that would have affected the teacher shortage as well, a central point being that teachers don’t enjoy the low pay that the job offers. On top of that, teaching candidates don’t want to risk their lives after taking into consideration the number of frequent school shootings. More than 300,000 public school teachers quit their jobs (between February 2020 to May 2022) due to burnout. Furthermore, the turnout of potential and future teachers is nowhere near close enough to replace the number of current teachers leaving the industry.
With the new changes that have occurred within the past few months to accommodate the lack of teachers in schools, the maximum of 20-30 students in each class has increased to around 50. These classes only have one teacher certified per classroom. This is exactly what happened in Lancaster Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, according to CNN. The district had an uncertified science teacher actively teaching a class of about 50 students who were in two different biology classes.This negatively impacts the students since less teachers are present to help shape the future minds of our country and prepare them for what they will need to know in the future. Furthermore, fewer applicants are qualified for the positions that are available, Lancaster Superintendent Katrise Perera believes that it will be increasingly harder to find individuals with the right qualifications and to get them into the classroom.
An estimated 37 states in the U.S. have teacher shortages happening within their respective districts. Many personal and work reasons have led teachers (future and current) to distance themselves from their profession. However, some measures are being put in place to stabilize the situation, for example, hiring foreign teachers. According to NBC, in the Phoenix suburb of Maricopa, one in four teaching positions will be filled because of teachers being recruited from overseas (many from the Philippines). Maricopa’s assistant superintendent of human resources, Tom Beckett, states that the overseas teachers have been a godsend for the community. Additionally, Beckett states, “I’m not sure what we would do if we did not have that avenue.” In the Altar Valley Elementary School (30 minutes from Tucson), half of the 33 positions hired are from overseas, including eight teachers who are starting this year from the Philippines. The district’s superintendent, David Duman, states that the position would’ve most likely gone unfilled if it weren’t for the overseas teachers since he only received a handful of applications for some positions, which is the cause of people not applying for jobs, especially school jobs. Overall, the solution of hiring foreign teachers has positive effects on districts that have implemented this idea.
Another example of a method helping to stabilize the shortage of teachers includes having an education, not including the student education. According to CNN, many districts in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and California are using this procedure of turning the support staff of the school into qualified teachers. The nonprofit named Reach University offers a program that provides school employees, from school bus drivers to paraeducators, with little-to-no cost certification training, beginning with a bachelor’s degree. The catch is that they can agree to this opportunity, as long as they agree to teach their district when they finish certification. As stated by CNN, the non-profit program is currently training more than 1,300 new teachers, with the enrollment of teachers growing by 3 times more every year since 2020. The program mainly assists the rural and low-income districts of California and many districts in the south, states a Reach University spokesperson. They are motivated to do all this because of their goal to “help schools grow their own highly effective teachers and leaders.”
With the teacher shortage situation affecting many students and districts alike, the people taking action, such as teachers and school staff, are improving the situation one step at a time. With more qualified teachers being hired because of these programs mentioned, the students will be able to learn more confidently and be able to move forward without concern.