Ongoing teacher shortage could further impede students' ability for long-term success
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Across the state, a new report finds schools are beginning to hire inexperienced and underqualified teachers to fill positions due to an ongoing teacher shortage.
Edward Fuller, a professor in the Education Policy Studies department in the College of Education at Penn State, said research shows last year, more teachers quit than ever before, and the biggest impacts are being felt by the students.
"It's going to get worse before it gets better," Fuller said.
Fuller said because of the shortage, schools are lowering the barriers to qualifications to become a teacher to fill the position.
"We've already allowed charter schools to hire 25% of their staff without any certification whatsoever, and that's a significant number of teachers right there," Fuller said.
He said by making it easier to become a teacher, it will reduce the quality of the classroom and what students are learning, making it more difficult for younger generations to be successful in the future.
"Not only does it hurt those children in their lifetime earnings and outcomes, but it hurts their families. It hurts their future families. It also hurts the economy of the state," Fuller said.
Fuller said Pennsylvania has gone from 16,000 newly prepared teachers in 2012 to 4,200 in 2022.
"I mean, we cannot run our education system in Pennsylvania by preparing only 4,200 teachers a year. We just can't," Fuller said.
He said the students that will be impacted the most tend to be those living in poverty or students of color.
"Who gets hurt the most, it's always the kids in underfunded districts, who tend to be kids living in poverty, and kids of color who need the very most help that we can provide them, but we're giving them the least amount of help out of all the kids in Pennsylvania," Fuller said. "It's just it's really disturbing to me that we've accepted this trend and really haven't addressed it in any meaningful manner, and those kids deserve better."
Fuller said he warned about a teacher shortage in 2018, but since then, nothing has been done to improve it.
He said it's up to state lawmakers to make a change, and that begins with funding.
"Every child deserves to have a great education in Pennsylvania, and the way to do that is [to] fund districts and fund teaching so that every student has a well-qualified teacher in every single classroom. You know, if we're not going to do that, then there's going to be lots of trouble down the road," Fuller said.
