Educator Shortages and the 115th Congress
Teaching has long maintained a place near the top of the list
of most respected professions. However, given the rhetoric around failing
schools and the decreased investment in education, that position is slipping. In
the 2018 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, only 61
percent of respondents have trust and confidence in public school teachers.
Also, slipping steeply throughout the decade, only 46 percent of respondents
say they would like their children to become teachers. This illustrates the danger
of a persistently negative public perception of public school teachers. The
teaching profession is seen as disrespected, difficult, dangerous, and low
paying.
Given this perception, it is not surprising that districts
are having difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers. A recent AASA survey found
that 91 percent of superintendents have had difficulty hiring qualified teachers
in the past five year. The greatest difficulty has been in hiring special
education (50 percent) and STEM fields (40 percent). Another 24 percent
reported difficulty in hiring for non-teaching positions and 18 for
administrative positions.
In the survey, superintendents were asked what they have done
to fill these positions. Most common was hiring less qualified individuals for
the position (60 percent). Other remedies were the use of alternative
certification programs or models (33 percent) increasing salary and benefit packages
where possible (33 percent) and rehiring retired teachers (32 percent).
When asked what improvements would help them recruit and retain
quality teachers, funding for salary and benefits was clearly the most popular.
This need was illustrated through the teacher protests of 2018 and is commonly
understood to be a need – 66 percent of PDK poll respondents agree that teacher
salaries in their communities are too low. However, funding for education has fallen
or remained stagnant in most states and local districts since the 2008
recession.
A common concern is the lack of localized teacher
preparation programs. An individual is most likely to teach close to where they
were raised or where they went to college. In rural communities, this means
that many residents go away to college and do not end up returning to teach in
their home community. Districts are often supportive of high quality “grow your
own” teacher training and certification programs, in four-year universities,
community colleges, and other settings. Two pieces of legislation have been
introduced this year (though they have not moved past introduction) to support
and expand grow your own programs. The first, introduced by Senator Tina Smith
(D – MN), is the Supporting Future Educators Act. It creates a competitive
grant program for LEAs or ESAs that could be used to create or expand teacher
residency or mentorship programs, grow your own programs, teacher preparation
pathways in secondary schools, or other evidence-based strategies.
Another bill has been introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D – VA).
The Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act amends Title II
of the Higher Education Act (not ESSA, though easily confused!) to better
support rural districts and to increase the flow of teachers from historically
black colleges and universities. It also encourages the creation of grow your
own programs and teacher and leader residency programs.
Another barrier to hiring qualified teachers reported was
the strictness of certification rules in many states. Superintendents commented
that an individual who is certified to teach second grade may not be allowed to
teach first grade, even if there is a great need in the community. State-level
certification requirements also pose a barrier to teachers who may be
interested in moving states or superintendents looking to recruit nationally. A
proposal by the centrist think tank Third Way to create a national standard for
teaching for states to opt into, much like the common core state standards, strives
to simplify the bureaucracy of teacher certification and create one high
standard for states to share.
A final improvement that would improve teacher recruitment
and retention is assistance with tuition or loan repayment. This has been a big
topic in the House of Representatives this year, as it was a key part of the
Republican-backed PROSPER Act. There are currently three major loan forgiveness
programs available for teachers; the most prominent is Public Service Loan Forgiveness(PSLF). Under PSLF, anyone working in a public service or nonprofit job
(including most education professions) can enroll in an income-based repayment
plan. If that individual makes 120 on-time income-based payments (10 years of
repayment) and work in an eligible field, whatever is left on their loans can
be forgiven. This is an important recruitment and retention tool for educators,
who often have high loads of debt following a bachelor’s and master’s degree,
and relatively low salary.
Under the PROSPER Act, which passed the House Education and Workforce
committee on a party-line vote, PSLF and all other loan forgiveness programs
would be eliminated. The House Democrats released a rebuttal bill, the Aim HigherAct. That bill not only keeps PSLF – it expands it to additional professions
(mostly in the farming industry).
It is unlikely any of these pieces of legislation will move
in this Congress, as everyone has turned their attention to the November
mid-term elections. As we move into the next Congress and another attempt at
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, I will work to ensure the issue of
educator shortages is top of mind for those writing the reauthorization. We
remain hopeful we can have a bipartisan bill focused on supporting future and
current teachers and ensuring they are prepared to teach in your schools.