The Teacher Gap

[xchrom]

http://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-gap-strong-gains-large-jobs-gap/

In September, public-sector employment increased by 12,000 jobs, with the majority of that growth coming from local government education—an increase of 6,700 jobs. Local government education is largely jobs in public preK-12 education (the majority of which are teachers, but also teacher aides, librarians, guidance counselors, administrators, and support staff).

While this is clearly a positive sign, unfortunately, the number of teachers and related education staffers fell dramatically in the recession and has failed to get anywhere near its pre-recession level, let alone the level that would be required to keep up with the expanding student population. Since 2008, public preK–12 enrollment increased by 1.5 percent. The figure below breaks down the teacher gap. The dark blue line illustrates the level of teacher employment. While the most recent positive trend is obvious, the longer term losses are also readily apparently.



Along with dismal trends in public sector employment in general, about a quarter million public education jobs were lost in the great recession and its aftermath. If we add to that the number of public education jobs that should have been added simply to keep up with growing enrollment, then we are currently experiencing a 377,000 jobs shortfall in local public education. The costs of a significant teacher gap are measurable: larger class sizes, fewer teacher aides, fewer extracurricular activities, and changes to the curriculum.

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Teaching in 2014 is one of the hardest jobs there is.

Even if you are lucky enough to graduate with a degree and teaching credential in 5 years (rare), you're probably steeped in student loan debt that you'll never be able to pay back when the starting salary can be below $40K a year. So many of the kids are a stranger to discipline by absentee/lazy parents and the teachers can't go to the principle any more without being accused of not being able to control their classrooms. Then there's the whole teacher-hating RWNJ's who have NO idea the hours outside of the classroom teachers have to put in, not to mention their own money for decorating classrooms (which they're required to do), buying supplies/lunch for students who have no money.

The solution is simple: Pay teachers more, respect the institution of teaching and Administrators and PARENTS need to back the teacher when there is a discipline problem.

[Sancho]

2. This trend will have a big impact over the next decade or so...

when the pool of highly qualified and experienced teachers bottoms out because schools are depending more and more on out-of-field, inexperienced, and temporary teachers too.

It takes a long time from getting certified to probationary periods to becoming effective; probably the typical teacher takes 5 to 7 years experience after college and certification to really become excellent.

The repub pukes are trying to kill the public schools and running off teachers every chance they get. The baby boom generation of teachers was actually a pretty good group, and many of them are retired or retiring soon. It's going to be very hard to recruit good teachers unless the pay and conditions improve.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. We've Made A Big Mistake

I don't mean to make this about me, but i'm nearing retirement age. I've taught at the college level, even 101 classes, so 17 and 18 year olds.

My wife was a teacher and she encouraged me to wind down by looking for a position. With advanced degrees in science, math and economics, i'm not qualified to teach.

I would need, (not kidding) 11 more college classes to be qualified to teach science at the high school level. I already took college classes for 10 years, but i'm unqualified.

While we're figuring out what to do about the woeful salaries and then encourage new people to enter a more lucrative field, there are legions of folks like me who are subject matter experts and have the background to effectively communicate the lessons.

I know the salary is low, but that plus retirement benefits would be a pretty good gig to wind down and pass on what i've learned over my 40 years in the real world.

Sorry, just venting.

[femmocrat]

5. Ironic that you think of teaching high school as "winding down".

A lot of high school teachers probably wish they had become college professors! LOL

"a pretty good gig"

[ProfessorGAC]

7. You're Excused

I'll excuse you for your reading comprehension issues.

As the spouse of an educator, i know what it takes. I know it's hard work. Never said it wasn't.

If you actually read for comprehension, you would see that it would be for the chance to take what i know, what i've learned and impart it down a more impressionable age group. Maybe make science and math more attractive.

And, since i don't NEED for it to be a highly lucrative job, i would be the ideal person who would be more concerned about the work than the money.

Laugh away. Clearly you don't get it.

[femmocrat]

8. I understood what you wrote. nt

[joeglow3]

9. I agree 100%

I went to a college prep high school and a number of our teachers had their PhD's, but weren't "qualified" to teach at a public high school. Too bad, as they were the best teachers I had.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

4. I fear that, in the furure, a "teacher" will be

a minimum wage earner watching fifty kids on computers.

[Grins]

6. Obama's Stimulus program included billions for teachers

Obama, in 2009 and 2010, put $60+ billion into saving teachers jobs at the local level. Without that spending, that 254,000 number would have doubled.

And Republicans fought all of it.

"Giving states another $23 billion in federal education money simply throws more money into taxpayer-funded bailouts when we should be discussing why we aren't seeing the results we need from the billions in federal dollars that are already being spent." - John Boehner

In very Republican Florida, the Orlando Sentinel, 2009:

Florida leaders counting on more than $3.5 billion from a massive federal stimulus package to shore up the state's education budget

They didn't qualify because they cut previous year's state education budgets.

In 2010 at a primary debate in Arizona, John McCain referred to spending for teachers as pork.