Schoolteachers are burning out, leaving at rapid rates

Schoolteachers are leaving at rapid rates as pay, student behavior drives burnout

What you probably already know: Schoolteachers are burning out and many are leaving the profession as challenges with parental pushback on curriculum, student behavior and lagging pay get worse by the year. A recent survey showed that, of workers who said the stress and disappointments of the job are worth it, teachers were near the bottom and sentiment is getting worse — even worse than it was during the pandemic.

Why? Public schoolteachers are leaving the profession at a rapid rate, and the gap between teacher salaries and other college-educated professions continues to increase, up more than 26% in 2022. Student behavior issues, which many tie to learning and socialization losses during the pandemic, are part of the issue. Students are struggling with mental health challenges and teachers list “managing student behavior” as the largest source of stress in the aforementioned survey. Combine that with criticism from politicians and the media, and teachers are just burned out.

What it means: Teacher shortages got bad during the pandemic and, though some have recovered to a point, many states still struggle with shortages. Most states are well behind pre-pandemic rates of public education employment, with states like Florida 7.5% behind. The U.S. Department of Education suggests continued financial support for public school programs to fund salaries, training, and retention efforts. From 1996 to 2021, teacher salaries increased by only $29 when adjusted for inflation, compared to $445 in other college-educated professions, according to the DOE.

What happens now? States are increasingly using teachers who aren’t properly certified as they struggle to recruit and retain employees. A study published in July showed that there were more than 400,000 teaching positions across the U.S. that were unfilled or filled by teachers who were not fully certified. As students continue to struggle with mental health, behavioral issues and learning loss, fully certified and trained teachers will be vital to getting them back on track. It’s also worth noting — 77% of schoolteachers in the U.S. identify as female, which means when they drop out of the workforce, this will disproportionately impact women.

Check out the Formidable Podcast — informational interviews with women leaders on news-driven topics, spotlighting timely and thought-provoking issues facing our world.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.