What educators can see
It's time to hear the urgency coming from educators on the ground
I’m currently working on a story about the teacher shortage vacancy crisis. I’ve learned a lot from my conversations with policy experts, superintendents, edtech startup leaders, and teachers. I hope it all comes together into something meaningful and interesting when it’s published. But for now, I just wanted to share how profound the disconnect between the policy experts and the educators on the ground feels.
Through Twitter, my work editing The Educator’s Room, and recent interviews, I’ve had the chance to hear from a lot of educators. These include educators in red states and blue states, urban and rural settings, and all grade levels. The overwhelming consensus from people who are in schools — or who have recently left them — is that education is in a state of major crisis.
Many teachers were burned out and frustrated in 2019, but the last few years have pushed so many people past the brink. Again and again, I’m hearing educators say that if something isn’t done, we’re in big trouble. By that, they mean two things: a massive exodus of educators and a major academic and mental health disaster for young people. On top of this anxiety is a deep frustration. When the pandemic hit, it offered an opportunity to reshape education. As we emerge from the crisis mode of the pandemic, it appears we’re doubling down on standardized testing-focused teaching.
But when you talk to policy experts and researchers, it’s a very different tone. Policy folks agree it’s too soon to say what’s happening when talking about the teacher vacancy crisis. Data tells them that there is no mass exodus. If there are shortages, it’s in the same hard-to-staff districts and subjects as always. These experts do express concern about the state of teaching and learning. But as you can imagine, the tone was exponentially milder than the tone of my conversations with educators on the ground.
This isn’t a new phenomenon, of course. In any field, there tends to be a gap between those researching and making policies and those doing the work. But I haven’t personally experienced the divide so starkly since I left the classroom to attend graduate school.
It’s probably true that educators could benefit a bit from the 10,000-foot view. It might provide a larger context that allows them to see that certain challenges are not as acute to this moment or their location. But in moments of crisis, I think it’s more important that policymakers (and the rest of us) listen to those on the ground who are sounding an alarm.
This is especially true because educators are speaking out about a crisis, so many people claim to care about. Education, and the well-being of young people, have garnered so much attention during the pandemic. We’ve engaged in heated debates about school closures and remote learning. Now people are panicking about learning loss.
Educators also care about young people’s social-emotional and academic wellness. And they know what they need to help young people thrive. They’re practically begging for help. It’s time to hear the urgency coming from educators and act accordingly.
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