The United States has a teacher shortage problem and there is a lot of blame, especially since the Obama administration took office and the federal government redoubled its educational policies. Just think about how things are right now with problems as glaring as tight budgets, relentless standardized tests, performance-based teacher evaluations, hastily designed and implemented Common Core Standards, explosive poverty numbers, restructured school mandates, charter school growth. and staying in the short hairs, right there along with the teachers’ pay.
Even the current Secretary of Education, John B. King, was somewhat apologetic in suggesting that, “Despite the best of intentions, teachers and principals have felt unfairly attacked and blamed for the challenges our nation faces as we live to improve. the results of all students. “
Indeed …
The dean of education at Stockton University put it more bluntly, stating that it is the result of “the horribly horrible and negative rhetoric we hear from public officials.”
Similarly, Lawrence Mishel, president of the Institute for Economic Policy, recently stated that, along with everything against them, “teachers have also been demonized.”
The result: A MetLife survey finds that teacher satisfaction is at its lowest level in 25 years, not surprising to Dulce-Marie Flecha, who quits after five years in the classroom.
When asked why, she said, “I’m trying to think of a good summary reason, but honestly, there are more reasons to leave than to stay in education right now. At a certain point, you have to pay for your own sanity. You know? “Then he added,” There is this kind of unspoken expectation that teachers should be happy to give so much time and money for the love of children … I don’t think anyone ever told me that I was going to cry under my desk”.
And so it goes on …
Another effect is that fewer college students are pursuing careers in education. In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, their number went from 106,300 in 2004 to just 98,900 in 2014.
Only in Pennsylvania Philadelphia InquirerKathy Boccella reports that in 2009 the fourteen Commonwealth universities had 18,287 undergraduates majoring in education; In 2015, however, that figure stood at just 11,583. In addition, although they awarded 18,590 teaching certificates in 2013; in 2015, only 7,180 were delivered, a 61% decrease!
As Gregory Anderson, dean of the School of Education at Temple University points out, “If I am an undergraduate student, teaching as a profession is not necessarily a brilliant one with possibilities.”
Rising up is also the difficult issue of wages, albeit secondary in light of troubling working conditions, lack of administrative support, very little policy input, and loosening of discipline policies.
As the Institute for Economic Policy has found, the gap between the pay of American teachers and that of other professionals is “greater than ever.” In fact, for all public school teachers, regardless of age, gender, or experience, the relative pay gap hit a record 17% last year, and teachers in just five states were within 10% of what other college graduates earn.
This is because, according to a 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis, the median salary for high school teachers was just $ 53,515, while their elementary school colleagues earned $ 54,120. Compare those figures to the median salaries of professionals like:
- Financial managers: $ 126,700
- Pharmacists: $ 116,500
- Human Resources Manager: $ 111,200
- Mathematician: $ 103.3
- Political Scientist: $ 100.9
- Art Director: $ 96,700
- Civil Engineer: $ 85,600
- Real estate broker: $ 82,400
- Physical Therapist: $ 82.2
- Computer programmer: $ 80,900
- Sociologist: $ 78,100
- Accountants and auditors: $ 72,500:
Consequently, several states are resorting to rather desperate measures to attract and / or retain teachers. For example, in light of the low salary of Utah teachers, the state board of education recently removed all requirements for new hires other than a college degree and a passing grade on a subject test. That is all.
Then there are states like Virginia, which offer bonuses ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 10,000 to attract new teachers. At the same time, California now says teachers with certification from the National Professional Teaching Standards Board can receive a $ 20,000 bonus if they agree to work in a high-priority (meaning difficult for staff) school for four years.
Stay tuned.