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| How does the US solve the teacher shortage? (Source: The Hill) |
Causes of teacher shortage
"We have about 300,000 teachers leave our jobs every year," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The rate of teachers leaving the profession is increasing, while the number of people entering the profession is not enough to fill the gap. This has led to a shortage of teachers, forcing many American schools to lower their hiring standards.
Several states, such as Texas, Nevada, Florida and Arizona, are facing a severe shortage of teachers. The main reasons are low salaries, unrecognized efforts and poor working conditions.
Ms. Sandra Lopez Gallardo - a high school teacher shared: "My colleagues all do other jobs to make ends meet, including waitressing or driving."
Speaking about the teacher shortage, Ms. Jennifer Smith, Associate Professor at Purdue University, said: "The economic recession after the Covid-19 pandemic, along with concerns about school safety and inadequate salaries are the reasons why many teachers in the US quit their jobs."
Solutions to the Teacher Shortage
To address this issue, in June 2023, the US state of Mississippi spent $10 million (VND240 billion) to train 200 intern teachers, according to the Washington Post . The cost for each person is $50,000 (VND1.2 billion). The program allows students to work at schools.
The state of Nebraska, USA, launched the "Native Teachers" program to encourage and facilitate them to receive a bachelor's degree in education for free while working in schools. Thanks to that, the state has added 59 teachers to the school payroll.
Recruiting teachers from other states or inviting former teachers to take over classrooms are solutions proposed by governors. In some other US states, raising salaries and bonuses is considered to retain teachers.
Ms. Jennifer Smith - Associate Professor of Purdue University, agreed that the minimum wage for human resources in the education sector should be increased. "We need to consider the minimum wage that was proposed before, whether it is still appropriate today," Ms. Jennifer Smith added.
Countermeasures to retain teachers
Faced with a severe teacher shortage, many states in the US have reduced their school week to 4 days in the 2023-2024 school year (previously 5 days). According to The Hill , in 2021, the trend of 4-day school weeks appeared, and many schools found this beneficial. To ensure there is no shortage of teaching hours, 35 minutes will be added to school days.
In 2023, 14,000 students in Independence, Missouri, will study 4 days/week, with weekends and Mondays off. The number of US schools adopting this policy will increase in the 2023-2024 school year.
“There are 850 school districts that are using this calendar, an increase of 200 compared to 2021,” said professor Aaron Pallas of Colombia Pedagogical University.
According to experts, the implementation of this school calendar is a measure to deal with emerging educational problems, including teacher retention. Shortening the number of school days a student goes to school each week is considered a strategy to recruit teachers, especially in rural America.
However, the shortened school week has caused headaches for parents. They expressed concern that they may have to use daycare services during the week.
Some districts offer child care, but parents have to pay about $30 a day, but the fees are difficult for families who can’t afford it, said Aaron Pallas.
Contrary to parents’ sentiments, teachers responded, saying they would have more time to prepare lessons, grade students, and plan other activities.
Not only teachers, students also like to study 4 days/week because the distance from home to school is far. Studying less days helps students not have to travel much. The school saves on electricity and water costs.
Mr. Thomas Smith - principal of Bishop McCort Catholic High School, said the reason for the school to apply the above schedule is to prevent a shortage of teachers.
For holidays, the school organizes an optional education program for students. When accompanying students in extracurricular activities, teachers will have additional income. To implement this policy, the school had to discuss 1.5 years ago and started changing from the 2023-2024 school year.
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