Teacher retention in school choice state
Plus: Links and News
Spring is a time of decision making for teachers. Typically, a school will issue contact renewals to teachers in February, with the expectation of a “yes or no” answer. Schools then go to work filling vacancies for the following school year. Teachers who say “no” but wish to remain in the profession will seek to find a different school before the ideal positions get snatched up.
It’s a springtime teaching shuffle.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recently launched a teacher retention task force, saying:
The reality is we don’t have an educator shortage, what we have is a retention crisis. There are too many amazing professionals who had to leave a career they love because of the uncompetitive salaries, onerous policies, and unfunded mandates that rob educators of the joy of teaching.
After the worst of the Covid pandemic, there were fears of a teacher exodus. That didn’t happen right away, but there is evidence of a higher teacher turnover rate following the ‘21-’22 school year.
I’ve written previously about the factors driving the teacher shortage in Arizona.
One additional factor I would add now is the exhausting nature of the culture wars. There are legitimate concerns about leftist ideology warping the academic culture. It’s not an imaginary issue. But most teachers are just trying to teach their subjects objectively … and I would bet most teachers are fed up with the panic and the whole deal.
The dynamics of teacher retention are worth unpacking a bit more — especially in a state with a variety of academic options.
In Arizona we have district schools; we have online charter schools; we have classical charters; we have charters that focus on AP tests; we have schools that offer dual enrollment; we have alternative schools; we have Montessori schools; we have Spanish-immersion schools; we have agribusiness schools; we have STEM schools.
There are two main reasons for this system. First, to provide options for families who might prefer different learning environments. Second, to improve schools by making them compete for students.
These same concepts apply to teachers. Teachers have options to seek a preferred working environment. And schools need to compete for teachers. I’ve seen schools advertising a $2,500 signing bonus. Some charter schools participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS). At least one district school is moving to a four-day school week to attract staff.
One flaw in the analogy of schools as a “marketplace” is that continuity is important. Students gain friends and community in a school setting. Changing schools is a social uprooting. It’s not like switching from cable television to YouTube TV.
Likewise for teachers. It takes time to get to know students and build trust in a school. I’ve worked in three different (relatively small) schools, and found that the invested social capital after multiple years at the same school is a major benefit in terms of job satisfaction.
At the end of the day, no teacher worries about going jobless during a teacher shortage. But the teacher job market is stickier because of narrow contract windows and the accrued benefits of continuity.
Districts vs. Charters
A district teacher who switches to a charter school will face no hurdles over red tape, but this is not necessarily true in reverse. Public charter teachers are not required (by law) to have a state teaching certificate. So an uncertified charter teacher will need to jump through hoops to teach at a district school.
On the flip side, not all charter schools pay into ASRS. Many charters instead utilize a 401k matching program for retirement savings. A mid-career teacher who has been contributing to ASRS will pay a heavy price by switching to a private school or a charter school that doesn’t use the pension system.
Curriculum Hurdles
Teaching expertise is not universal in a school choice state.
A teacher who teaches English or history at a traditional charter or district may not be equipped to switch to a classical school, where the value is a robust understanding of primary sources and the Western classics.
A prospective teacher who graduates with classical training from ASU-SCETL would be an ideal candidate for a classical school. But this teacher might not gain the qualifications to teach AP classes, nor have a state teaching certificate, nor have a certificate to teach dual enrollment.
I really like the idea of dual enrollment courses. This is where high school students take classes and simultaneously earn college credit. One of my professional goals, if I remain in the profession, is to become certified to teach dual enrollment psychology. Even though I have a degree in psychology, and have taught AP psychology (where students prepare to take a test to earn college credit), I would still need additional qualifications to teach a dual enrollment class. And only certain schools offer dual enrollment classes.
Teachers aren’t free agents who bring along their specialized area of expertise. School models are built from the top down, and teachers are hired to implement pre-packaged school strategies and curriculums. This is another limiting factor to teacher mobility.
Solutions
To help retain teachers across the board, we need both a statewide and a community approach.
At the statewide level, I agree with Governor Hobbs that we need to increase teacher pay, decrease onerous policies, and eliminate unfunded mandates. We also need to taper down the mandatory standardized tests. Testing overload is a powerful morale killer.
At the local level, communities would do well to grow their own teacher workforces. Community colleges can offer four-year degrees now, but they are limited in scope. Maricopa Community Colleges offer programs in elementary education, but not at every school site. Hopefully these education programs keep expanding at the local level.
It would be great if prospective teachers could take dual enrollment classes in high school, graduate from college early, and start their teaching careers right away. We’re going to need a new generation to replace the disillusioned teachers who are looking for the exits.
Links and News
$10k is $10k. Good write-up in the Arizona Agenda about Republican Rep. Matt Gress’s proposal to boost teacher pay. The plan is being opposed by Democrats for some of the same reasons they were skeptical about the 20x2020 plan. In the face of teacher protests in 2018, Gov. Ducey came up with a plan for 20% raises by 2020. This plan turned out well for teachers.
As this issue of Cholla Express was going to print, Gov. Hobbs announced the members chosen for the educator retention task force. “The task force will make recommendations regarding the educator retention crisis in a report due in December 2023.”
Jonathan Haidt’s substack is a must read for those following the youth mental health crisis debate. I referenced his work in my post on schools and mental health. He has since written about the reverse CBT effect of trendy progressive ideology, and he responded to comments about the connection between social media use and mental health.
Arizona is facing a housing shortage and a homelessness crisis. A big part of the solution will be to build more housing. A comprehensive housing bill recently went down in flames at the state Capitol, but maybe parts of it can be salvaged?
In a run-off election for Phoenix City Council, a pragmatic progressive candidate, Kesha Hodge Washington, unseated a more activist progressive incumbent in one of the most liberal enclaves of the city.
“More Teaching Less Testing Act”: A Democratic Congressman has introduced federal legislation to eliminate the testing requirement in the Every Student Succeeds Act and offer states more flexibility on how to conduct standardized tests.
Baseball Fever: Spring Training Is a Home Run for Phoenix Economy But Fans Face Sticker Shock
Great column laying out the costs and benefits that result from a teacher shortage in a market-oriented k-12 system like Arizona’s. Also very interesting links.