--- Presented by Lucy & Keiny
Introduction
It is clear that throughout the world, the
teaching profession is in crisis because of the
increase in population growth and a decrease in the
number of people wanting to become teachers. It is
widely accepted that teacher quality is one of the
most important factors for students achievement. It
is fortunate to have many highly qualified
individuals in America’s classrooms today.
However, the United States is clearly in need of
many more highly qualified teachers and must
continue to work over the next decade to meet the
goal of filling the classrooms.
public school
enrollment
2008
2010
elementary
school
54m
17%
high school
26 %
Teachers Needed
3.35 m
Acute Teacher Shortage
Urban Districts
Some Rural Areas
Many Branches of Special Education
Math and Science in Many Districts
Bilingual Education.
After 1 yr.
14
After 2
yrs.
24
After 3
yrs.
33
After 4
yrs.
40
After 5
yrs.
46
0
10
20
30
percent
It is clear that the percentage of beginning
teachers having left teaching occupation is
increasing by years of experience.
40
50
Reasons of Teacher Turnover
lack of student motivation
student discipline problems
low salaries
lack of support from school
administration
lack of teacher influence over decision
making
Based on many studies, it is concluded that
salary and teacher morale are the real problems.
To begin with, salary is the major barrier to
entering the profession when compared to other
professionals.
Average Salary with 16 years Experience
Teachers
$40,000
Accounts
$49,200
Computer
scientists
$66,700
Engineers
$68,200
No one ever said that getting into teaching would make
one wealthy, but teachers should expect to have a life of
economic dignity. Teachers should be able to purchase a home,
send their children to college, and retire with enough assets to
maintain a modest standard of living.
Many new teachers are finding that they are ill equipped
to deal with today's increasingly challenging classroom
situation. Many more are lured away by higher paying jobs in
other fields. And as a result, more and more high quality
individuals are leaving the classroom within their first two
years of teaching.
Teacher Morale or Satisfaction
Morale has been connected to a variety of
issues ranging from discipline policies to academic
support. Many view teaching as low-status work,
with teachers being semi-skilled workers. It should
also be noted that teacher morale is associated with a
sense of respect and appreciation.Teachers must be
viewed as professionals who are part of a team that
helps students succeed. This view allows teachers to
be supported and in turn to be supporters of parents
and the schools teachers and parents serve.
To Recruit & Retain Teachers
“The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001”,
signed into law by President Bush, did mention
“Teacher Qualifications” . Happily, the “highly
qualified” requirement is already in effect for
newly hired paraprofessionals. Thirty-four states
have now required prospective high school teachers
to demonstrate subject-matter expertise by passing
a test in the subject they plan to teach.
 Salary Incentives
 Better Programs
 "Poaching" Teachers
 Grow-your-own Programs
 Rehiring Retirees
 Recruiting overseas
 Help With Housing Problems
Salary Incentives
Increasing salaries for all teachers and
developing differentiated pay scales that
reward expert teachers and those who take on
specialized roles and responsibilities. Reward
those willing to teach in high-need areas where
teacher retention is problematic by giving
them higher salaries than those teaching in
areas and fields in which there is a glut of
qualified teachers.
Ø
Salary Incentives
Ø Several cities in Texas offer signing
bonuses between $1,500 and $2,000 for
teachers of secondary mathematics and
science.
States such as Nevada and New
Jersey have raised average teacher
salaries to compete with other districts
and other careers.
Better Programs
Though low pay remains a concern for
teachers in many districts, raising salaries alone
will not solve the overall problem. Better
programs to initiate and support new teachers
are also critical. It is widely thought that
beginning teachers who have access to intensive
mentoring by expert colleagues are much less
likely to leave teaching in the early years.
Ø
Better Programs
some examples of school districts in
Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo, Ohio, who
have been able to reduce the attrition rates of
new teachers by more than two-thirds by
connecting new teachers with expert mentors
and providing both with joint release time.
Such programs not only encourage new
teachers to stay in the profession, but also
enable them to become competent more
quickly.
Ø
Rural and high-poverty districts and
schools should encourage graduates and
paraprofessionals already familiar with
the culture and challenges associated
with those environments to become
certified.
Ø
"Poaching" Teachers
"Poaching" teachers from other school districts
or other states is one solution to the teacher
shortage that some say is unethical but which
still happens frequently.
California recruiters lure teachers from Colorado and other
states with benefits such as higher salaries, smaller classes, and
hiring during the first interview at job fairs.
Rehiring Retirees
In Georgia, school districts
may hire retired school teachers
but only to fill positions in lowperforming schools. Only 1 percent
of a school district's full-time staff
can be retirees.
Ø
Recruiting overseas
In New York City, school
officials recruited teachers from Italy,
Spain, Barbados, Jamaica, and
Austria and conducted a $6 million
ad campaign to tempt teachers into
the classroom for the 2001-2002
school year.
Ø
Help With Housing Problems
Chicago offers a resource center to help
teachers find housing discounts, receive
counseling on home buying, and research city
neighborhoods. Cities like Cincinnati,
Baltimore, and Chattanooga offer housing
loans, below-market-rate mortgages, reduced
closing costs, and free counseling to teachers.
Ø
Situations In China
---Comparison and Contrast
Compared with the problems in the
United States, China is also faced with the
same situation. It is estimated that senior
high school education should reach a 60
percent gross attendance rate and there will
be a shortage of 1.16 million people in the
teachers’ ranks in 2005. It has also become
an important factor hindering the sustained
and healthy development of China's
educational undertakings.
Similarity
Both countries share most of the factors
contributing to teacher shortages, such as low
salaries, low social status and students’ discipline
problems.
Moreover, various strategies to attract and keep
teachers applied in both nations are significantly
alike. To attract more teachers, China is trying to
make teaching a more desirable and respected
profession as well.
Dissimilarity
To cope with the shortage of teachers, the China
Education Commission declares that seniormiddle-school teachers should be graduates with
two years' training in professional institutes.
The government designated September 10 as
Teachers' Day and made teachers' colleges tuition
free. As for the problem of the teacher shortages
in schools located in remote and poverty-stricken
areas, the central government sends teachers to
underdeveloped regions to train local
schoolteachers.
Conclusion & Expectation
Teacher shortages would melt away.
Our schools would improve.
Our children would learn more.
Our teachers would get better, thus easing
our quality problem at the same time we met
the quantity challenge.
--- July.26th, 2004