Almost 10,000 teachers left their jobs in Pennsylvania since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. That’s according to a Penn State study released in May.  At the same time, the number of new teachers certified by the state plunged by 70% since 2010.

It all adds up to a teacher shortage in Pennsylvania. Actually, there’s a shortage of teachers across the country.

The problem is especially critical in districts where students of color make up the majority of the student population.

Why are so many teachers leaving the profession and what aren’t more young people opting for a teaching career?

On The Spark Monday, Dr. Lara Willox, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Millersville University, offered her opinion of why there's a teacher shortage,"There's been a lot of political nuances that have been engaging educators. We just went through a pandemic that also was very impactful for education, requiring teachers who have never taught online to shift and move to a new paradigm that they weren't familiar with. We have a lot happening in the world with A.I. being introduced in terms of how we're assessing students and how we're gathering knowledge. There's just a pretty rapidly changing landscape right now that's impacting, you know, education, I think, at the forefront.

Teachers told the Penn State researchers the reasons they were leaving included pay and working conditions. More specifically, they cited student behavior issues, teacher involvement in decision making and school leadership. but they also suggested that the prestige and respect for teachers has declined dramatically. During The Spark broadcast, several listeners that included former teachers, told us that today's atmosphere of books, curriculums and their teaching being questioned are reasons leading to the exodus of teachers.

Willox responded,"We are facing a lot more public scrutiny and that's certainly not helping the educator shortage at all. And but there are ways that teachers, I think, savvy teachers are finding ways to engage that process and work through that classroom management. I know myself as an educator had my students write their own notes about what they had done at school today, and that was a lot harder for a parent to refute when their own kid explained the situation. So there are some ways around this in covert ways. But yeah, we are facing a lot more scrutiny as an education field and I'm afraid teachers are starting to feel like they have to be careful and kind of censored in some cases. And, you know, I think some of the best educational leaders are working hard to protect their teachers and to to ensure them that they will have their back if need be."

Willox thinks more students would become teachers if they made higher salaries,"It's expensive to become a teacher. There are a lot of costs involved. When you go to college, you expect to pay tuition and fees. But when you're an education major, you're also expected to you know, you have to get your clearances annually. That costs a nominal amount. You have to take some tests and exams that also costs additional money. And then when you're in your final semester of student teaching, you can't work. You're working at a school the entire school day for an entire semester. So if you relied on working to pay your rent or to to take care of things to to live, you no longer have that opportunity. Or you have to squeeze that in after school hours or weekends. So then we have future teachers working two or three jobs, essentially trying to make it meet."

Almost 10,000 teachers left their jobs in Pennsylvania since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. That’s according to a Penn State study released in May.  At the same time, the number of new teachers certified by the state plunged by 70% since 2010.
It all adds up to a teacher shortage in Pennsylvania. Actually, there’s a shortage of teachers across the country.
The problem is especially critical in districts where students of color make up the majority of the student population.
Why are so many teachers leaving the profession and what aren’t more young people opting for a teaching career?
On The Spark Monday, <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/state-lawmakers-must-help-remedy-pa-teacher-shortage-column/article_6d627398-00cf-11ee-a221-9b9161202b06.html">Dr. Lara Willox,</a> Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Millersville University, offered her opinion of why there's a teacher shortage,"There's been a lot of political nuances that have been engaging educators. We just went through a pandemic that also was very impactful for education, requiring teachers who have never taught online to shift and move to a new paradigm that they weren't familiar with. We have a lot happening in the world with A.I. being introduced in terms of how we're assessing students and how we're gathering knowledge. There's just a pretty rapidly changing landscape right now that's impacting, you know, education, I think, at the forefront.
Teachers told the Penn State researchers the reasons they were leaving included pay and working conditions. More specifically, they cited student behavior issues, teacher involvement in decision making and school leadership. but they also suggested that the prestige and respect for teachers has declined dramatically. During The Spark broadcast, several listeners that included former teachers, told us that today's atmosphere of books, curriculums and their teaching being questioned are reasons leading to the exodus of teachers.
Willox responded,"We are facing a lot more public scrutiny and that's certainly not helping the educator shortage at all. And but there are ways that teachers, I think, savvy teachers are finding ways to engage that process and work through that classroom management. I know myself as an educator had my students write their own notes about what they had done at school today, and that was a lot harder for a parent to refute when their own kid explained the situation. So there are some ways around this in covert ways. But yeah, we are facing a lot more scrutiny as an education field and I'm afraid teachers are starting to feel like they have to be careful and kind of censored in some cases. And, you know, I think some of the best educational leaders are working hard to protect their teachers and to to ensure them that they will have their back if need be."
Willox thinks more students would become teachers if they made higher salaries,"It's expensive to become a teacher. There are a lot of costs involved. When you go to college, you expect to pay tuition and fees. But when you're an education major, you're also expected to you know, you have to get your clearances annually. That costs a nominal amount. You have to take some tests and exams that also costs additional money. And then when you're in your final semester of student teaching, you can't work. You're working at a school the entire school day for an entire semester. So if you relied on working to pay your rent or to to take care of things to to live, you no longer have that opportunity. Or you have to squeeze that in after school hours or weekends. So then we have future teachers working two or three jobs, essentially trying to make it meet."

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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