EMPTY DESK

U.S. Teacher Shortage Is So Bad Some Districts Are Trying Four-Day Weeks

Experts say myriad factors are to blame, including poor pay and a newly virulent culture war that has left many educators feeling undervalued.

America’s schools are in crisis, with some districts facing tremendous staffing shortages as the fall creeps closer. “I have never seen it this bad,” the executive director of the School Superintendents Association said. “Right now, it’s number one on the list of issues.” While it’s unclear precisely how many classrooms are without teachers, local reports indicate shortages ranging from the hundreds to the thousands. In Houston, Texas, alone, the five biggest districts are all saying that anywhere from 200 to 1,000 positions remain unfilled. The Washington Post reported that experts attribute the crisis to a number of factors, including pandemic burnout, low pay, and a newly virulent school culture war that has left many educators feeling unappreciated. Districts are employing a number of band-aid fixes, from higher wages to ballooning class sizes. And some areas are getting creative, ranging from a four-day school week to having veterans with zero teaching experience lead classrooms.