Here is the thing: Teachers are quitting or retiring early in record numbers. Moreover, a staggering 55% of educators plan to leave the profession earlier than they had planned , according to a National Education Association (NEA) survey of its members. Eighty-six percent of members say they have seen more educators leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
According to Bloomberg, the shortage of teachers in the US was already a growing problem before the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in high-poverty schools. For example, In Florida, teacher vacancies increased by more than 67% compared with August 2020, and a 38.7% increase from August 2019.
The above statistics prove that the teacher shortage is real and growing. According to the Economic Policy Institute, When indicators of teacher quality (certification, relevant training, experience, etc.) are taken into account, the shortage is even more acute than currently estimated, with high-poverty schools suffering the most from the shortage of credentialed teachers.
What is the impact of teacher shortage?
A shortage of teachers affects students and the teachers, and the education system as a whole.
- Learning loss of students
- Anxiety and depression among students
- Reduced efficacy of teachers
- Overburdened teachers
- Higher teacher turnover leads to higher administrative costs for schools.
Impact on high-poverty schools
According to the National Teacher and Principal Survey data from 2015–2016, the share of highly qualified teachers is smaller in high-poverty schools than in low-poverty schools. High-income schools attract highly qualified teachers and retain them due to better support and benefits, whereas high-poverty schools have weaker retention of teachers due to insufficient resources. High-poverty schools are defined as those with 50% or more students on subsidized or free lunch programs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, high-poverty schools are at a higher risk of teacher shortage.
Impact on low-income students
- Compounded learning loss
- Impact on future earnings leading to depletion of generational wealth.
- Mental trauma
How can we minimize the impact of teachers quitting, especially on low-income students?
Schools can use online tutoring to fill in the gaps left by teachers quitting. An example of an online tutoring service is PhotoStudy, an app-based tutoring service.
Here is how PhotoStudy can help you tackle the teacher shortage and learning loss of students
- Hiring Tutors vs. Access to millions of Pre-vetted Expert Tutors
- 24*7 student access to tutors vs. limited hours of in-person tutoring.
- On-demand access vs. Scheduling
- Access from anywhere vs. commuting for in-person tutoring.
- Bite-sized sessions suited to the current generation of students versus longer duration of in-person tutoring sessions.
- Tutoring sessions start at $4.99 versus private tutoring starting at $25 per hour.
Photostudy has helped millions of students worldwide and thousands of TRIO students in the USA resolve their doubts and feel confident about their subjects, as seen in the reviews here.
If you want to know more about how the Photostudy app can help you improve student engagement in an online setting, then book a free demo here.
