How Technology Can Help Fill Teaching Vacancies

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Educators, administrators, students and parents have been completely exhausted by the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on classrooms and schools across the country. In a stalled industry that was barely pulling its weight before the pandemic, vulnerabilities were exposed, and many teachers decided the only viable option was to exit, and in some cases, do so altogether.

With no end in sight, this mass exodus and shortage of current teachers promises to be a pivotal moment in the education industry, and we are going to have to face the terrible reality: we have to change the system. to support both teachers and students.

Related: How Education is Changing the World and How Technology is Changing Education

In June 2022, Kathryn Dill of Wall Street Journal reported that "Some 300,000 public school teachers and other staff left the field between February 2020 and May 2022, a drop of nearly 3% in this workforce, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

With the next school year fast approaching and reports like the recent National Education Association survey conducted this year, which found that 55% of teachers said they would leave school earlier than expected (a statistic up from 37% last August), the education sector is desperate to fill vacancies and welcome students back this fall without resorting to substitute teacher coverage (another subgroup that also experiences massive shortages).

Every vacancy in school staff means that students are not getting a high-quality education, which has a resounding effect on outcomes for years to come. Research has shown that teacher absences have disastrous consequences for students. When schools and districts struggle to keep up with basic courses like math and English lessons, standard deviations decrease in test scores and grades, respectively.

A recent article by Desiree Carver-Thomas for the Learning Policy Institute pointed out that “teacher shortages can significantly reduce student achievement, as schools often cancel classes due to vacancies or classes of staff. with substitutes and underprepared teachers who are not certified to teach their subject."

Some states like California and Connecticut have responded to shortages by reducing qualifications and certifications to enter the classroom, but this is undermining students' opportunities to learn from expert teachers, particularly affecting students in color and those in economically disadvantaged areas.< /p>

Bodies in the building with students are not synonymous with successful learning or even long-term education solutions. According to research, "novice or unprepared teachers tend to leave their schools 2-3 times faster than those who enter fully prepared." As a result, it creates instability for students and teachers.

The answer is not to lower the bar and recruit anyone willing to take on the role. The truth is, we are racing against time to solve the teacher shortage for the future of our students as school and district vacancies reach record highs. Nevertheless, despite another school year with huge losses and opportunities, administrators and districts still have options.

Related: What the Last Year Taught Us About the Gaps in Technology for Education

These are modern times, and there are modern solutions that can bring education out of the dark ages and into the 21st century. While virtual learning has gotten a bad rap in recent years due to the pandemic scramble to launch virtual classrooms across the country by unprepared (and untrained) districts, teachers, and students, the Virtual learning can be the saving grace for filling teaching positions.

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