More than 1 in 5 of the nation’s students identified as experiencing homelessness reside in California. Students experiencing homelessness hold educational aspirations like those of their peers—to graduate from high school and go on to college. However, students experiencing homelessness face distinct challenges often due to the cumulative effects of poverty, instability, and disruption of social relationships associated with high mobility.
While teacher shortages are an increasingly critical issue in the United States, a lesser known but equally important shortage is also hampering the country’s efforts to provide quality educational opportunities for students — principal shortages. Nearly one in five principals leave their schools each year and the average tenure of a principal is only about four years.
With nearly 1 in 5 principals leaving their schools each year, turnover is high and concerning. A new report and brief by LPI and the National Association of Secondary School Principals look at the causes, impacts, and strategies for principal retention.
Access to fully certified and experienced teachers matters for student outcomes and achievement, yet many states have hired uncertified and inexperienced teachers to fill gaps created by persistent teacher shortages. These teachers are disproportionately found in schools with high enrollments of students of color, according to LPI analysis of the most recent U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, which has proposed cutting key data collection questions related to school funding and educator experience.
