Strengthening the Educator Pipeline and Supporting Aspiring Educators
As of February 2022, there were 335,000 fewer public-school educators in our nation than before the pandemic; the shortage of Black and Latino teachers is especially pronounced. In fact, there are shortages across all job categories in education, from transportation to food service.
In a 2022 survey, 55 percent of NEA members said they were considering leaving the profession they love earlier than they’d planned because they feel overwhelmed and under-supported.
These shortages have been an issue for decades and now are at crisis levels in areas such as mathematics, science, special education, and bilingual education. Educators love what they do—they just need more support to pursue their passion for teaching, guiding, and supporting students.
Solutions include increasing pay and benefits; creating grow-your-own programs to recruit and prepare educators to teach and work in their local communities; fully funding teacher residency programs; and providing high-quality professional development for all educators.
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