Teacher scarcity a longtime issue that will require long-term fixes

The shortage of qualified teachers is one of the most urgent crises facing Texas. It’s a problem that cannot be solved overnight, but it can be solved.

As policymakers work to find and keep more qualified teachers, it will be important to resist quick fixes. Certainly, this is a time for fresh thinking. Ultimately, however, many of the solutions are obvious if Texas is willing to pursue them.

The last two years have been especially difficult on educators as they managed an abrupt switch to virtual learning, then worked to bring students back to campus amid many COVID-19 safety protocols. The ups and downs of the virus have caused considerable absences among school employees, forcing all hands on deck to pitch in just so schools could continue to operate each day. Stressors on mental health such as isolation and grief have had an acute impact on the teachers who spend hours each day with children. Teacher attrition is up.

Still, the slowdown in Texans entering the profession predates the pandemic. Texas has long experienced persistent shortages of teachers in key fields, including math, science, bilingual education and special education. As someone who relied on great special education teachers to make it through elementary school, I know the demands on — and the importance of — effective teachers in these high-demand subjects.

The warning signs have been there. In 2018, 54 percent of Americans in a poll issued by PDK International said they would not want their child to become a public school teacher — the first time a majority had expressed that sentiment since the organization began asking the question in 1969. Further, in 2019, only 4 percent of students who took the SAT expressed interest in becoming a teacher, according to the College Board.

It’s no surprise that relatively low pay is among the reasons many avoid entering, or consider leaving, the teaching profession. Texas legislators commendably approved a teacher pay raise in 2019, but our salaries still trail the national average. With a tight labor market and rising housing costs, it’s imperative to continue investing in teacher pay. Many school districts used some of their federal stimulus dollars to offer their teaching staffs onetime retention bonuses over the past year. Those are helpful steps but not permanent fixes.

Equally important is investing in teacher training. Texas is fortunate to have many alternativecertification programs that allow those who did not come out of college ready to teach to make a shift and earn their teaching credentials on an accelerated timeline. However, studies show that teachers who come from alternative-certification programs tend to leave the profession faster than others. We need to focus on both the quantity and the quality of teachers, and our universities have proven to provide the best training ground.

Many young Texans are understandably reluctant to take on the costs of a four-year university and then embark on a career with modest pay. Texas needs additional investments to make our most effective educatorpreparation programs at universities more affordable, whether through financial aid, forgivable loans or expansions in residency programs. For example, Tennessee has focused on creating no-cost paths to the profession and recently announced the country’s first teacher apprenticeship program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. The program will offer a wage to those learning the craft.

Finally, if we want teachers to feel valued, we need to value them. Our schools have too often been thrust into political fights and, as a result, characterized as instruments of incompetence and indoctrination. Those who gain political traction by attacking public schools cannot expect educators to feel especially supported. The current attacks on schools bring to mind the old contradiction that “the beatings will continue until morale improves.” Let’s lift up the people who are shaping our future.

It’s encouraging to see growing attention on the need for wellqualified teachers in every Texas classroom. This conversation is past due, and it will be most productive if we listen to those on the ground, acknowledge the challenges they have overcome, and show respect for their professionalism.