ROSEDALE, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 23: Camellia Jenkins teaches an 8th grade math class at West ... [+]
Of all the challenges facing America's teachers today, none may be more dire than the disconnect between the profession’s importance and the profession’s prestige. Despite the best efforts of pop culture representations that depict teaching as a “calling,” in reality, fewer individuals than ever are answering the call.
Researchers at Brown University and the University at Albany laid out the problem in the starkest terms last fall. They found interest in the profession has declined nearly 40% since 2010. If we don’t turn this around, we will confront profound teacher shortages that will continue to make it difficult for schools across the country to fully staff classrooms, let alone prepare our children to be contributing citizens of society.
As the head of one of the nation’s leading graduate schools of education, my colleagues and I confront this challenge every day. How do we attract, inspire and prepare the best minds in the country to enter the teaching profession when it’s faced with a daily barrage of bad PR on top of longtime systemic impediments?
We need to make this profession attractive to the next generation of educators who have more career opportunities than ever before. This begins with advocating for more competitive pay for educators, a leading factor in shaping the attractiveness and esteem of the profession. According to the National Education Association, the average starting salary for teachers was $41,770 in 2020-2021, while the pay gap between teachers and similar professions averaged 23.5% in 2021.
Furthermore, a wide array of conditions and environmental improvements are needed to attract and retain current educators, empower their voices and reestablish respect for the profession. With convoluted legislative attacks on curriculum, hyperfocus on standardized testing, and relaxation of teacher certification requirements in several states, deprofessionalization—and diminished autonomy—are undermining the joy and creativity of teaching.
West Virginia University College of Law professor Joshua Weishart’s recent paper, “The Right to Teach,” explored teachers’ rights as educators as a means of bolstering the teaching profession. Educators need the support of policymakers, school and district leaders, and education thought leaders to elevate their voices. This empowers them to develop enriching, fulfilling classrooms and learning experiences for youth. Changes that empower educators will only aid the overhaul the profession so desperately needs.
Better pay, improved conditions, and career growth pathways are critical. But we should also recognize and champion the attributes that make the teaching profession so fulfilling. Teaching stimulates both sides of the brain—the emotional side that sparks creativity and compassion, and the analytical side that craves opportunities to problem-solve, develop leadership skills and fulfill an ambition. Teaching has always been a challenging profession, yet the ability to have a direct impact on students’ lives has made it historically among the most rewarding.
Schools of education have a valuable role to play in enhancing the quality of the profession and in restoring satisfaction for prospective and current educators. By establishing deep, sustained partnerships with community public schools, we can empower and elevate visionary, accomplished educators and highlight schools as they are: places of brilliance, energy, inspiration, and potential. Such partnerships, built on shared expertise and reciprocity, can harness the talent in our schools, while inspiring pre-service and current teachers seeking a career in the profession.
Given the evolving demands on educators, we must also continue to innovate the ways we prepare teachers. Today's teachers are called on to be classroom managers, social workers, and community activists. We aren’t just training individuals to lead classrooms but to contribute to the well-being of the communities around them. One way to do that is to continue to strengthen and expand clinically rich pre-service experiences. Strong teacher residency programs, which enable prospective educators to teach in classrooms before they graduate, offer firsthand experiences to interact with students, develop engaging lesson plans and get a feel for the opportunities and challenges presented throughout a school year. In turn, graduate schools of education provide community school districts with a dedicated pipeline of well-prepared, committed educators equipped to meet the challenges of the job. Mentorship, continued professional development, and a career ladder for in-service teachers can increase teacher retention and enrich local schools.
Lastly, sometimes we need to step out of the comforts of academia and become fierce advocates for our profession, which is under constant attack. Increasing activism against teaching is creating an environment where teachers are muzzled in what they can say and teach. No one wants to enter a profession where they could face prosecution, termination, or even violence for following a curriculum or teaching children the truth. As leaders, we must call out false narratives and racist attacks levied at our profession.
Teaching is one of the oldest and most storied professions in our society. But the current state of the profession is unsustainable. Certainly, we must prepare educators to thrive in challenging environments, but we must also work together to make teaching the respected, well-paid, and rewarding calling it deserves to be.
