Latest news with #teachershortage
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
1,847 teaching posts vacant amid ‘supply crisis' for new school year
More than 1,800 teaching posts were left vacant this year, while many schools in the Greater Dublin Area report that they are struggling to hire qualified staff in the run-up to the new academic year. Principals say the housing crisis and cost-of-living issues mean it is difficult to find teachers in and around the capital, especially in schools located in more deprived areas . A Department of Education review of teacher payroll in March of this year found there were 1,847 vacant posts across schools. Most unfilled teacher positions were at primary level (1,228 posts) compared to second level (619). A similar review conducted in November last year found there were 1,600 vacant posts, indicating that more posts became vacant as the academic year continued. READ MORE Paul Crone, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies , said many Dublin schools, as well as those in other large urban areas and some remote locations, were having difficulty finding qualified teachers in time for the new school year. He said the situation was especially acute in subjects such as home economics, physics and engineering, while 'post-primary schools nationally are finding it impossible to fill positions to replace teachers on parental leave, paternity leave and even maternity leave'. 'In many of these situations, principals are covering this leave with the teacher extension scheme, supervision and substitution, PME [professional master of education] students or unqualified teachers,' Mr Crone said. A department spokesperson said, overall, the number of unfilled teaching posts continues to be 'low' with vacancies accounting for 2.5 per cent of all 74,611 allocated posts in schools. The payroll analysis was a 'snapshot at a point in time' and schools continually recruit throughout the year, the spokesperson added. In an attempt to boost teacher supply, meanwhile, the department has extended several measures to assist schools in accessing additional teaching and substitute hours. The 'teaching hours extension scheme' allows teachers on full teaching contracts of 22 hours to provide additional substitution cover of up to 35 additional hours for each term. In addition, teachers who are job sharing will continue to be able to work as substitute teachers in any school, as long as they are off duty, while teachers who are on a career break can continue to work as substitute teachers at primary and second level. Minister for Education Helen McEntee said that while they were not long-term solutions, they will continue to support schools to access qualified teaching for the students in their schools. 'Teachers are at the heart of our schools and we are so lucky to have more teachers working in our schools than we ever have had before. However, in some areas there are teacher supply challenges and I am committed to tackling this,' she said. Other measures due to come into force include fast-tracking newly qualified teachers into secure permanent contracts and helping teachers who have trained abroad apply for registration in the State. Teacher unions, however, say a 'supply crisis' is being accentuated by the affordability of the profession for new entrants and unsustainable workloads. The department said the new public service pay deal will mean salaries for new entrants climb to €46,000 and a maximum of €85,000 per year, which it said compares well internationally. Some schools have also reported difficulties hiring principals in advance of the school year, with deputy principals obliged to 'act up' as a temporary measure. While figures for 2025 are not available, last year 160 primary principals (5 per cent of all principals) and 35 second-level principals (7.5 per cent) retired. These numbers have remained relatively steady over recent years.
CBC
29-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Teacher shortages persisted this school year. What's being done to fill the gap for the next?
Burnout, fear and violence: Why more teachers are leaving the classroom 18 hours ago Duration 6:03 Social Sharing For several months this year, Katherine Korakakis' kids had substitute instructors that were "not qualified to teach the subject," said the Montreal parent, whose province started this school year thousands of teachers short. "It wasn't a math teacher who was teaching math. It wasn't a French teacher who was teaching French." She was already worried about learning loss after the pandemic, and scrambled to get her teens extra tutoring, a luxury she knows not everyone can afford. "Having a child score in the high 90s … one year in math and then having a non-qualified teacher coming in the second year and the child scoring a 50 — there's something wrong here," she said. Teacher shortages have become an issue in nearly every province and territory. Kids facing one substitute teacher after another. French taught by a non-speaker. Relying on uncertified adults to supervise classrooms. While some governments suggest an aging workforce and growing populations are behind the shortages, teachers themselves point to working conditions. So what's being done to improve the situation for next year? 'Just getting through the day' In Surrey, B.C., Anne Whitmore noted that in her children' 17-class elementary school, four teachers were on leave as the school year concluded. Whenever a classroom teacher was away, her kids said, they sometimes got a substitute for part of the day, but also likely saw another class's teacher, the librarian, the music instructor and the principal fill in. "How do you learn in an environment where you have no continuity?" Whitmore asked. "They're trying to scramble and have some kind of educational content, but really they're just getting through the day." Constantly backfilling others leaves fellow teachers, support staffers, guidance counsellors and administrators delaying their own responsibilities to students, "who now don't have access to those adults when they need them," said Brampton, Ont., high school science teacher Jason Bradshaw. Alison Osborne, who served as president of the Ontario Principals' Council this year, describes the situation as the worst she's seen in her 17 years as a principal, with administrators "constantly monitoring our phones just to see what the situation we're going to be walking into the next day," she said. What's influencing shortages? The overall number of educators in K-12 public schools rose slightly — around three per cent — from 401,286 in 2018-2019 to 413,667 in 2022-2023, according to Statistics Canada, but depending on the region, the figures have wavered during that period. CBC News asked each provincial and territorial ministry of education about teacher shortages, with B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and New Brunswick responding. Some cited retirement of an aging workforce and rapid population growth as key factors influencing current shortages. WATCH | How teacher shortages came to 'a crisis point': How teacher shortages came to 'a crisis point' 2 days ago Duration 1:20 Limited housing and a higher cost of living have perennially kept more teachers from certain regions, including remote and rural areas, said Clint Johnston, president designate of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF), the national group representing the unions of more than 365,000 K-12 teachers and education workers. Yet Johnston says today's working conditions are what's behind current shortages, as teachers bail on the traditional 30-to-35-year teaching careers. "There's a lot of certified individuals in most of our provinces and territories, but … they're not sticking with it," Johnston said from Vancouver. "There's not enough support workers. There's not enough teachers … everyone's workload has gone up and become untenable." An online CTF survey last fall drew nearly 5,000 responses from Canadian teachers, education workers and principals. While not statistically representative of the 365,000 educators represented by its members unions, those who chose to respond paint a difficult picture. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents reported struggling to cope, 55 per cent had experienced violence or aggression over the year prior and 77 per cent called students' needs "significantly more complex" than five years earlier. The constant pivoting educators were forced into during COVID-19 also took a toll, says science teacher Bradshaw. Given that a key pandemic lesson was to take better care of ourselves, "that can mean stepping away from stressful work … where you feel you're being overextended." Job 'isn't worth the conditions that we're facing' Some areas are struggling to attract young people to the field, with even brand new teachers experiencing burnout. Having found engineering work isolating after obtaining a bachelor's in biology, Jadine Kirst chose to become a teacher instead since she loved working with kids, felt inspired by lifelong educators she knew and saw the need for more teachers. Her enthusiasm quickly evaporated, however, after just one year teaching Grade 8 in a francophone school in New Brunswick. "We had students figuring out loopholes so that they could look at pornography on their in-class iPads. We had a few students who threatened my life — one of [whom] needed to have their locker searched for weapons," she said. Once, asking a student to stop talking mid-lesson sparked a barrage of insults and profanity, with Krist feeling "futile" as she tried to calm his screaming. "I couldn't call the principal; the principal was probably too busy dealing with other students," she said, recalling feeling alone, without any recourse and worn down. She still works in education, but no longer in the classroom. "People who aren't aware of the reality today still look at teaching as an excellent job with two months off and a great pension, but it isn't worth the conditions that we're facing." WATCH | Teachers' federation leader on past classroom challenges on his mind 'to this day': 'I think about it to this day,' teaching leader says of own classroom complexity challenges 2 days ago Duration 1:41 Clint Johnston, incoming president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, shares a personal story about the challenge of supporting a wide spectrum of students from his time as a B.C. classroom teacher. What's being done about shortages Several ministries of education that responded to CBC News' queries noted ongoing efforts to address the problem, including: Launching new recruitment campaigns and strategies (N.B. and Alberta). Funding programs for rural and remote teacher candidates to train in their home communities (B.C. and Alberta). Bursaries for teacher-candidates or cash incentives for new teachers who relocate to remote regions (B.C. and Alberta). Developing certification programs targeting those without formal qualifications already teaching in schools (Quebec). Ontario and New Brunswick are allowing teachers' colleges to accept more students, while several regions have also floated the idea of accelerating or condensing teacher training, including in Ontario (which had initially doubled the length of study a decade ago to stem a vast supply of new teachers outstripping jobs available for them). Streamlining educator training is of course possible, says Brock University professor David Hutchison, yet he thinks it would likely cut into the invaluable time aspiring teachers spend inside real schools. He also predicts a negative impact to the parts of teacher training that were added more recently, for instance about student mental health, use of technology and artificial intelligence, or teaching students whose first language isn't English or French. "These are the new realities of being a student in Ontario and other provinces as well and we have an obligation to prepare [new teachers]," he said. While Ontario principal Osborne welcomes any effort to entice people to education, she worries whether they'd stick around without real change to classroom conditions. "When we talk about recruiting new teachers, new education workers, I'm not sure it's always an appealing environment to work in," she said. Science teacher Bradshaw wants to see deeper, ongoing investment versus short-term fixes. "If [governments] want to show teachers that they are valued and respected and give people a reason to come into … and stay in this profession, we have to know that they're going to invest in us long term," he said, including pay that keeps up with inflation (versus sign-on bonuses) and increased mobility, since where a teacher starts may not be where they want to stay. What do aspiring teachers think? "Knowing that teachers are needed everywhere is awesome," said teacher-candidate Serzna Issadien, who's nearing the end of a Brock University program mixing an undergraduate degree with a bachelor's of education. Still, she's uneasy about initiatives that may "just flood the market with more teachers" without adequate training, given the chaotic reality she's already seen, having filled in as an emergency substitute in the St. Catharines, Ont., region. Bridgette Walpole, another teacher-candidate close to completing her Brock training, is eager to dive into her dream profession despite a belief that most don't really understand the job nor the mix of classroom challenges today. "From a student's perspective, you see [teachers] handing out assessments. You see them standing at the front of the class delivering content," she said. "You don't see them creating the actual materials for each and every student that learns in a bunch of different ways. You don't understand the many different hats that they wear…. You're really everyone all at once."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eight pressing headlines highlighting education in metro-east schools
Stories by Belleville News-Democrat journalists, with AI summarization This collection of stories explores the factors shaping education in Belleville high schools. Local schools have taken steps such as equipping high school staff with panic buttons to address safety and adjusting to severe weather by shifting to e-learning days during winter storms. The articles also describe plans for major upgrades in District 118 schools, including security cameras and improved playgrounds, and highlight ongoing funding questions as home values rise and school tax rates change. The set discusses the options local leaders consider for cellphone policies in response to a possible state ban, and how addressing the teacher shortage leads some districts to use retired educators and alternate staffing models. Other stories follow new administrative appointments in Belleville schools and how leadership promotes belonging through parent engagement, along with proposals to use federal funding for full-service community school models in neighboring East St. Louis. Read the stories below. 'It has great promise. It's proven: kids do better. They learn better. Attendance is better, the whole nine yards.' | Published October 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by ksmits@ Smits The same system was used at Apalachee High School in Georgia, which law enforcement officials said likely saved lives. | Published October 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kelly Smits 'I think in the 18 years I've been up here, that is the largest projected increase in our equalized assessed valuation,' one superintendent said. | Published November 21, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kelly Smits From 'locked' pouches to exceptions for educational purposes, southwestern Illinois schools' cellphone policies are diverse. Could proposed legislation change that? | Published March 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Madison Lammert 'We are probably going to be able to get more things done this summer for the amount of money we are spending than ever before,' Superintendent Ryan Boike said. | Published March 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Madison Lammert 'She's always just had an amazing heart for kids,' Principal Monet Webster said of the new assistant principal. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Madison Lammert The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Elkhart students sign letters of intent
ELKHART — Elkhart High School seniors looking to study education in college signed letters of intent on Thursday to potentially work at the school system after college. Eighteen students in the morning and 20 students in the afternoon signed letters of intent at the Little Theater in Elkhart High School. It was the second year the school has done the letter of intent signing. 'I believe that is the greatest gift we can receive at Elkhart is people who want to give back,' Elkhart Superintendent Larry Huff said. The teacher shortage issue has to be fixed from the inside, Huff said. The number of students who signed letters of intent doubled from last year, he said. Cali Shook, an Elkhart High School senior who signed a letter of intent, said she felt relieved knowing that she had a potential job after she finishes college. 'Elkhart is an amazing school system and community,' Shook said. 'I have definitely built so many relationships with my teachers, fellow peers, and people who I have absolutely taught and students I have helped with in the classroom.' The need for teachers is huge, said Brandon Eakins, director of the Elkhart Area Career Center. As of Thursday, the Indiana Department of Education's job board listed over 1,900 available teaching positions statewide. Former students who become teachers know what a student goes through, Eakins said. 'When you are raised in a community and you go through the educational system, you know what it looks like here; I think you can help students navigate some of the situations they encounter in that K-12 journey,' Eakins said. Eakins said he was woefully unprepared when he stepped into the classroom for the first time 25 years ago. Incoming teachers who have a stable network of teachers they know and can rely on helps a lot, he said. Elkhart Senior Sophia Hernandez-Rojas also signed a letter of intent. She said she is a first generation student coming from a family of immigrants. When she first went to school, she did not have anyone to help her learn English, Hernandez-Rojas said. 'I just want to be that person for those students that are struggling, just to be there for them and support them no matter what's going on in their life,' Hernandez-Rojas said. 'I just want to be there for them because school is a safe space and everybody should be welcome and will be welcomed.'
CBS News
12-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Why are Texas schools hiring uncertified teachers? Not enough certified ones are applying
Number of certified teachers in Texas classrooms on the decline, TEA says Number of certified teachers in Texas classrooms on the decline, TEA says Number of certified teachers in Texas classrooms on the decline, TEA says Schools in Texas are struggling to get and keep certified teachers in the classroom, educators say. The Texas Education Agency said that for the 2024-2025 school year, 43,800 new teachers were hired in Texas and only 45% of them were certified. "A certified teacher in the classroom means that they have undergone training to lead to their success," said Jean Streepey, chair of the State Board for Educator Certification and Highland Park High School teacher. "Preparation includes 50 hours of field-based experiences, 300 hours of coursework. They also have observations and coaching from someone outside of the school, in addition to a mentor inside the school." There are several types of certifications a teacher can obtain, including: Early childhood through 3rd grade Early childhood through 6th grade 4th through 8th grade 7th through 12th grade Special education Bilingual education Within 4th through 8th and 7th through 12th, teachers can get certified for English, history, math and science. Teachers must also pass state exams. It's a process that takes more than a year to complete. In 2015, state lawmakers created Districts of Innovation, allowing public school districts to apply for exemptions to sections of the Texas Education Code. Exemptions like hiring uncertified teachers to fill teaching positions. According to the TEA, there are nearly 1,000 Districts of Innovation in Texas. There are 155 of them in North Texas – that's every school district in the area except Tioga ISD in Grayson County. If a teacher isn't certified, studies show that students are more likely to fall behind. According to research from Texas Tech University, on average, students with uncertified teachers lose three to four months of learning. However, it also shows that uncertified teachers with prior classroom roles do not negatively impact student outcomes. Uncertified teachers are also less likely to stay in the classroom long-term. So, why hire uncertified teachers? Simply, there are not enough certified teachers to fill positions. "It seems to be a bit of a necessity," Dixon said. District context is also important when hiring. "We would expect to have non-certified teachers, perhaps in CTE, career tech ed classes, such as welding or architecture, or something where someone's bringing in industry knowledge," said Jean Streepey, chair of the State Board for Educator Certification and Highland Park High School teacher. "but the question becomes, do we use that same standard for hiring someone who's teaching a second grader to read?" It's important to note, charter and private schools are not required to hire certified teachers. Streepey said that in the long run, having a certified teacher in the classroom is invaluable. "Research will tell us that certified teachers stay longer, and their students achieve more. But we, as communities, reap the long-term benefits of that. And if we want teachers to become certified, the time to invest in them is on the front side." At East Texas A&M, they work with universities across the state to get teachers certified. "We really want to work collaboratively to try to help get well-prepared, highly qualified teachers in all of the classrooms in the State of Texas," says Dixon. State lawmakers are working to get more certified teachers in the classroom. HB 2 would require certified teachers to instruct core classes in public schools. That bill is currently sitting in a Senate education committee, where it's been since April 23. HB 1178 would allow a temporary certification for teachers who are certified in other states. The House has voted on that bill. Once the vote has been certified, it will move to the Senate for consideration. If you would like to see if your child's teacher is certified, you can check their status on the certificate lookup section on the TEA's website here.
