Sec. 2. Findings

371 words·~2 min read·/bill/114/hr/6236/ih/section-2

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Congress finds the following: The rise of teacher shortages found across the Nation, particularly in high-needs schools and high-needs fields, including special education, STEM, and English language learners, threatens the ability of schools to ensure our Nation’s students are prepared to participate in the 21st century workforce. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped significantly in recent years, jeopardizing the workforce pipeline at a time when a large portion of the current workforce is set to retire.

High-needs schools and field experience elevated levels of teacher turnover, which negatively affects student achievement and school culture. Teacher retention is often undermined by low wages, poor working conditions, lack of sufficient resources and insufficient supports, which include mentoring, inductions, meaningful professional development, and career advancement opportunities. Our Nation’s schools are experiencing a severe diversity gap that negatively impacts student achievement and school culture—50 percent of current students are from minority groups while only 18 percent of teachers are, according to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institute.

According to a 2016 study by the Learning Policy Institute, America is on the brink of a teacher shortage crisis, propelled by a decrease of 240,000 teachers in the last five years. The Learning Policy Institute predicts that, unless teacher workforce patterns change, our schools will face a 100,000 teacher shortage annually. High-needs schools are often served by high percentages of inexperienced, ineffective, and out-of-field teachers, which can negatively impact both teacher retention and student achievement.

Certain types of local educational agencies, including those that are rural and those that are high-poverty, are uniquely impacted by challenges of recruitment and retention, making targeted support to address the unique challenges faced by certain types of local educational agencies critical. Structured, well-implemented career continuums for teachers that include teacher leadership options (such as hybrid roles whereby expert teachers both teach and contribute other skills such as mentoring) have a positive impact on teacher recruitment and retention.

Principals and other school leaders who are skilled in supporting teachers and teacher leadership roles are critical to the success of teaching and learning. Stakeholders at the Federal, State, and local levels must make targeted, purposeful efforts to address these challenges to elevate, strengthen, and build the capacity of the teaching profession.