LPI In the News

Insider by Kelly McLaughlin | Educators are seeing record-high turnover in their schools in recent years. An LPI study found that turnover rates are higher for teachers in schools serving large concentrations of students of color. The study also suggests that the reasons teachers leave include lack of administrative support, low salaries, accountability pressures, working conditions, and lack of advancement.

WTMJ by Phil Pruitt and Chance Seales | America's demographics are rapidly changing, but the racial and ethnic representation of teachers is not keeping pace. Why does this matter? Research from the Learning Policy Institute explains that teachers of color boost the performance of students of color, helping to close the achievement gap.

EdSource by Diana Lambert | California has earmarked nearly $200 million over the last four years to address the state’s persistent teacher shortage, but it is not enough, according to new studies that are part of “Getting Down to Facts II." There has been a small uptick in enrollment in teacher preparation programs and in the number of licenses awarded to new teachers, but not enough to resolve the problem, according to LPI President Linda Darling-Hammond.

Getting Down to Facts II, produced by leading education policy researchers across the country, reveals that California has made improvements due to recent reforms, but that major system-wide funding challenges and significant gaps in student achievement remain. The report summarizes 36 studies and 19 research briefs on the effects of education reforms adopted over the past decade.

The Guardian by Sarah Betancourt | Teacher shortages are worsening across the U.S. for the majority of states, according to an exclusive survey by the Guardian. And, due to shortages, some states are turning to emergency or short-term licensure to put more teachers in the classroom—a policy that puts less effective teachers in the classroom.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Marlon Walker | Walker writes about the strategies that Metro Atlanta districts have been using to combat teacher shortages, incuding some, like loan forgiveness and competitive salaries, that are highlighted in LPI's report, Taking the Long View: State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession.

The Guardian by Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block | “Teaching has become a much less attractive profession,” LPI President Linda Darling-Hammond tells The Guardian. Because of this, fewer Americans with college educations are becoming teachers. To fill classrooms, schools in almost every state have hired qualified teachers from abroad, like the schools in Casa Grande, AZ, that have hired several teachers from the Phillipines. 

Pacific Standard by Dwyer Gunn | On the first day of the 2016–17 school year, 6% of SFUSD classrooms didn't have a teacher. One year later, and 99% of the classroom vacancies were filled. Gunn writes about the teacher shortage problem that SFUSD and other districts across the country are dealing with, and what they are doing to fix them. 

St. Louis Public Radio | Illinois, like many states across the country, is experiencing teacher shortages. Governor Bruce Rauner recently signed legislation intended to alleviate these shortages. Lee Gaines spoke to LPI President Linda Darling-Hammond about which policies are actually successful at solving teacher shortages. 

CBS News by Aimee Pichee | Students across the country are returning to school, but many of their teachers aren't. More teachers are leaving the profession and fewer students are studying to become teachers, leading to teacher shortages. LPI President Linda Darling-Hammond offers insights into what's causing the shortages and how policymakers can work to fix them.