Sec. 3. Findings
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Congress finds the following: The shortage of experienced, qualified early childhood educators and elementary school and secondary school teachers is a national problem that compromises the academic outcomes and long-term success of students. The shortage is the result of many factors including low pay, frequent turnover in school leadership, poor teaching conditions, and inadequate teacher supports. The shortage is worse in high-poverty areas where the factors contributing to the shortage are particularly acute and have an increased negative impact on teachers of color remaining in the field.
A child’s access to high-quality early childhood education is critical to supporting positive outcomes, and early childhood educators— play an important role in setting the foundation for future learning, and promote the development of vital skills, habits, and mindsets that children need to be successful in school and in life. In 2021, the national median pay of early childhood educators was a mere $30,210, with many early childhood educators relying on government assistance programs such as Medicaid, the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq. ), or the temporary assistance for needy families program established under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq. ), and struggling to provide for their own families.
Studies have demonstrated that well-qualified, experienced teachers are the single most important school-based element contributing to a child’s academic achievement and success. In the 2021–2022 academic year, the average teacher salary in public elementary schools and secondary schools was only $66,397, a 2 percent increase from the previous academic year. When adjusted for inflation, the average teacher salary has declined by 6.4 percent over the past decade. On average, public elementary school and secondary school teachers were paid 23.5 percent less than other college graduates working in non-teaching fields, and many teachers struggle with large amounts of student loan debt.
In 2021, the average teacher salary for a first-year teacher in a public elementary school or secondary school was $41,770. An experienced, well-qualified education workforce must also be reflective of the diversity of the student body across race, ethnicity, and disability. Higher pay for teachers can result in a more diverse teacher workforce, and minority students often perform better on standardized tests, have improved attendance, and are suspended less frequently when they have at least one same-race teacher.
Experienced, well-qualified school leaders and school-based mental health service providers are essential for providing strong educational opportunities and services for students and promoting teacher retention through improved professional supports and teaching conditions. Between February 2020 and May 2022, at least 300,000 teachers at public elementary schools and secondary schools left the field, a nearly 3 percent decline in the teacher workforce.
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