LPI In the News

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel by Alan Borsuk | The author, a senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School, takes issue with the prediction of a looming teacher shortage as portrayed in the Learning Policy Institute study. He asks the question, “Are we heading toward a serious teacher shortage now?” And he answers, “Yes, kinda and probably not. Take your pick. There is reason to say each.”

AZ Central by Mike McClellan | More than 2,000 teaching positions in Arizona were not filled at the start of the school year, says the author, resulting in a revolving door of substitute teachers or teachers with emergency certification. Reports, including one from the Learning Policy Institute, paint a dismal picture of Arizona teacher salaries, student-teacher ratios, enrollment in teacher preparation programs, and teacher retention. If the governor really wants to improve education, he needs to find more money for schools, says the author, a former teacher.

Fox 35 Orlando by Dana Jay | New enrollments, teacher retirements, and the addition of three new elementary schools created a shortage of 104 teaching positions in the Orange County Public Schools. A month after school started, the positions were not filled. The article notes that a Learning Policy Institute report makes it clear that Orange County is not alone in its struggle to find enough teachers.

The Charlotte Observer by Kay McSpadden | The failure to retain teachers costs America $8 billion a year and costs many children time in overcrowded classrooms often taught by unqualified teachers. The author points to the Learning Policy Institute study on the nationwide shortage as explaining that fewer people want to be teachers, and most who do enter the profession leave because they are unhappy with working conditions.

Parent Herald by Collie Lane | The Aspen Institute has created a commission to reexamine what a successful K–12 education really entails, with an emphasis on incorporating social and emotional development. The new National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development has three co-chairs: Tim Shriver, co-founder of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; John Engler, former governor of Michigan; and Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute.

Orlando Sentinel by Annie Martin and Leslie Postal | A month after classes had begun, Central Florida school districts were still looking to hire almost 100 teachers for the new school year. Officials said it took a lot longer to hire teachers than in past years. The article notes that the Learning Policy recently released a study warning of a teacher shortage.

The 74 Million by Don Goldhaber and Roddy Theobald | Citing a Learning Policy Institute study, the authors argue that reports of a looming teacher shortage crisis are wrong. Under the authors’ calculations, the number of potential first-time teachers has far outpaced the demand for newly minted teachers for decades. One problem, they say, is there is no national teacher market, and individual state teaching licensure policies make it difficult to move from one state to another.

The Pioneer by Maira Sanchez | The Oakland Unified School District had less of a problem than some districts in finding teachers because of hiring bonuses, referrals, and use of social media and the Internet to announce open positions. The article quotes Leib Sutcher, co-author of the Learning Policy Institute’s report on teacher shortages, on the number of laid-off teachers, enrollment in teacher-preparation programs, and the percentage of underprepared teachers.

FirstCoast News/ABC by Janny Rodriguez | Schools in Duval, St. Johns, and Clay counties in Florida all report teacher vacancies in line with a report from the Learning Policy Institute. Duval County reports 100 vacancies, St. Johns has 89, and Clay County has 22 vacancies. Clay County officials say it’s especially difficult to recruit teachers for secondary positions, like math and science.

Napa Valley Register by Jennifer Huffman | Almost a month into the school year, the Napa Valley Unified School District was using substitute teachers for two math classes, illustrating a teacher shortage problem described in a Learning Policy Institute study. Besides the fact that substitute teachers do not always have the proper training to teach math, continuity is also a problem, since substitutes can stay with a class for only 30 days.