Nothing illustrates the challenges of the field of education like this paradox: There is an ongoing teacher shortage despite decreasing enrollment at K-12 schools. As an education scholar since the early 2000s, I did not expect schools to return to filling in teacher positions with “intern credentials,” which are suspiciously similar to the “emergency credentials” that were widely maligned among educators at the turn of the century. Yet here we are, struggling to find and hire qualified teachers; in California alone, there were more than 10,000 teacher vacancies during the 2021-22 school year. Though there are regional differences in enrollment trends, the data are overwhelmingly consistent across the country.
Declining enrollment was foreseeable and expected, given declining birthrates in the United States since 2008 (according to the National Center for Health Statistics, from 2014 to 2020, the fertility rate consistently decreased by 2% annually). But the accompanying teacher shortage is more of a puzzle. One would expect that fewer students in the classroom might lead to fewer teacher positions available, where replacement needs would be modest and associated with attrition through retirement. Unfortunately, attrition of new teachers and teachers at mid-career remains all too common, and disproportionately affects schools serving the most marginalized students. At some parochial schools, declining enrollments and teacher shortages are even more severe.
Theories abound as to why there is a lack of interest in entering or staying in the teaching profession. Most hold a degree of truth. Some of the most voiced theories posit economic logic: teachers’ relatively low salaries cannot compete with salaries in other fields in a healthy job market, or the cost of attending graduate school to receive a teaching credential does not yield a return on investment. Other theories point to changes in cultural norms, in which some say that young people are no longer interested in “making a difference” or “living a life of service.” This is a particularly popular explanation among Jesuit colleges and universities, where we often frame the field of teaching as a vocation or a calling that yields non-tangible rewards. Still other theories point to our current political climate, which has sought to undermine higher education, school boards, and school curricula. “Who wants to be a teacher or school leader right now?!” goes the refrain.
The economic, social, cultural, and political conditions these theories describe are a reality. However, in externalizing the causes for the current teacher shortage, we miss an opportunity to examine the role that schools and colleges of education can play in changing these trends. What could happen if we asked, “Given the conditions that exist right now, how can we attract, prepare, and support new teachers?” Thankfully, we have existing research and practice to point us in a new direction.
First, research has consistently found that teachers prepared in teacher residency programs tend to stay longer in the profession compared to other preparation programs, with students who perform better academically. A teacher residency program is modeled after the medical training residency model, where new teachers train alongside a mentor teacher, while also preparing for their teacher credential. In the context of parochial schools, this model allows for deeper faith formation aligned with the community context of the school. The catch is that teacher residency programs are costly: Students receive a substantial stipend while they are in residency, and their tuition is often funded by federal and state grants. However, if the cost of teacher turnover is considered, the research indicates that it may be a worthwhile investment in the long run.
Residency programs stand in contrast to intern credentialing programs, in which candidates earn full-time salaries as teachers of record in K-12 classrooms while they complete their programs of study. Such programs, though cost-effective for candidates and districts alike, have the lowest retention rates and high rates of attrition among new teachers. But if we are constrained to offering preparation programs via an intern model, we should consider providing structured support to new teachers to assuage these losses. Specifically, schools and colleges of education, in partnership with K-12 schools and funding sources, should consider designing a support and mentorship program for new teachers in their first two to three years of practice. By support programs, I do not mean a series of weekend professional development gatherings, but rather more holistic mentorship and coaching programs, with paid time and substitute allowances, led by a higher education partner, or reputable center or institute.
With this type of support, new teachers would engage in deeper and scaffolded reflection with a community of practitioners, while also receiving support on content and methods. For parochial K-12 schools, such an approach would allow for deepening the faith-based identity that we seek in Catholic school teachers, which can be nurtured as a part of post-credential professional and spiritual development.
Finally, we must recognize the critical role that school leaders (e.g., principals) play in creating conditions that attract or discourage teachers. There are no shortcuts to preparing effective and equity-minded leaders, and while some school leaders may possess innate leadership qualities, most are formed, not found. Yet it is rare that school districts strategically invest in formally training or preparing school leaders, much less plan for succession. School leadership preparation, which often takes place in the process of acquiring a school administrative credential, should be a robust program with intensive coaching and performance-based assessments.
These problems and conditions faced by K-12 schools are increasingly urgent. It is a social justice imperative to provide equitable quality teaching and schooling conditions to all students, no matter where they come from or what type of school they attend. It is also an urgent problem because a critically educated populace is an essential element to a true democracy. Schools and colleges of education must step up to the challenge of providing solutions that schools need. This task begins with a deep (and perhaps uncomfortable) reflection, discernment, and examination of our assumptions and roles.
By Estela Zarate, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University