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While the pandemic upended our lives, it also brought into focus the vital role teachers play in the day-to-day lives of our students and communities. As we prepare to welcome students back to classrooms this fall, we recognize the incredible contributions of our educators during an immensely challenging time.
At the same time, California is confronting a teacher shortage, a long-standing crisis for the profession and our public school students further exacerbated by the pandemic. Fewer teachers in the classroom will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable students who have been hit hardest by the pandemic and puts a strain on current teachers.
There are notable investments in teachers described in this year’s final state budget that acknowledge the need to solve this problem. Investing in a qualified workforce is one of the most important steps California can take to support our educators and meet the academic and social-emotional needs of our students.
California was just beginning to make progress in addressing the teacher shortage in 2019-20, but we still weren’t recruiting or producing enough teachers to fill our classrooms annually. Almost 18,000 new teacher credentials were issued in California in 2019-20, but not nearly enough to fill over 48,000 open teaching positions according to EdJoin, an education job site.
A March 4 report from the Learning Policy Institute underscores California’s critical teacher shortage problem by stating how the pandemic has led to a rising number of early retirements and resignations. And further complicating matters is California’s long-time substitute teacher shortage.
What’s more, there are troubling signs indicating waning interest in joining the profession as more seasoned teachers look to leave the field. In February, CalSTRS reported that teacher retirements have increased at rates not seen since the Great Recession. Not only did retirements increase during the Great Recession, but almost 30,000 teachers were laid off.
These trends tell us that, in the year ahead, we will need to recruit and retain even more teachers to accommodate our student and staffing needs. The encouraging news is that extensive research exists. The Learning Policy Institute’s work, for example, provides a road map for how to tackle the shortage. By following that road map, and by working collaboratively to scale successful programs and practices, we can make a difference. Strategies we need to expand include:
This is a pivotal moment in our state’s ability to proactively meet the demand for passionate, qualified teachers. We cannot take our foot off the accelerator. How we tackle the teacher shortage now will make a difference in the success of California’s students for years to come.
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Donna Glassman-Sommer is the executive director of the California Center on Teaching Careers based out of the Tulare County Office of Education. Marvin Lopez is the program coordinator of the center.
The opinions in this commentary are those of the authors. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.
Legislation that would remove one of the last tests teachers are required to take to earn a credential in California passed the Senate Education Committee.
Part-time instructors, many who work for decades off the tenure track and at a lower pay rate, have been called “apprentices to nowhere.”
A bill to mandate use of the method will not advance in the Legislature this year in the face of teachers union opposition.
Nearly a third of the 930 districts statewide that reported data had a higher rate of chronic absenteeism in 2022-23 than the year before.
Comments (4)
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Robert Bartlett 3 years ago3 years ago
I have been a credentialed (professional clear) teacher in the California public school system for the past eighteen years (believe it or not). I entered the profession through a district internship in 2003 - 2006. As you might guess, I've heard it all before, literally. In my opinion, the strategies in this article are based on the misguided notion that teacher training and teacher competency are the causes of the teacher shortage. There has never … Read More
I have been a credentialed (professional clear) teacher in the California public school system for the past eighteen years (believe it or not). I entered the profession through a district internship in 2003 – 2006. As you might guess, I’ve heard it all before, literally.
In my opinion, the strategies in this article are based on the misguided notion that teacher training and teacher competency are the causes of the teacher shortage. There has never been a shortage of appropriate workers, teacher-education programs, or teachers willing to remain in the schools. The shortages are the result of administrative malfeasance. None of the measures in this article will work until the churnover strategy of balancing the state school budget is addressed.
Contemplate how the state budget would look if the turnover rate for teachers with a credential had been only ten percent over the past ten years rather than eighty percent. The balanced budget requires high rates of turnover and a teacher shortage. In addition, conditions that many teachers find intolerable, for instance the demand for full inclusion coupled with rising class sizes, can’t be alleviated with the balanced budget. Administrators are culpable because they develop skills in covering up these problems rather than giving real feedback to state lawmakers and the public. Voters are kept in the dark and even deliberately thrown off course.
The teacher shortage is directly tied to California’s low ranking in per pupil funding.To stop the teacher shortage, California will have to overhaul its taxation and finance systems. I recommend tearing up the state constitution and starting over again. The families starting their own schools are catching on (in record numbers). I recommend it for every family. Children schooled by parents at home seems to be where Prop 13 and its school-finance offspring have been headed all along (i.e. anarchy). Children schooled at home – the pinnacle of Reaganomics.
john 3 years ago3 years ago
What exactly will be done to waive the CSET and CBEST? Hoping to graduate this fall and need info ASAP or I would need to postpone til next Spring.
Replies
Smita Patel 3 years ago3 years ago
Hi John,
We are still awaiting the trailer bill with more details, but you can find more information in this update by Diana Lambert.
Mayra Guerra 3 years ago3 years ago
Do you know when these changes take effect for the CSET and CBEST?