By Howie Berman
The fall academic term is underway across the United States, and many K–12 schools, colleges, and universities are once again delivering instruction remotely. While the persistent COVID-19 pandemic continues to make distance learning necessary in many places, educators and institutions now have months of experience to draw upon. That experience should inform better planning, care for teacher and student well-being, and more thoughtful investment in professional development.
As institutions adapt to ongoing uncertainty, three priorities must guide decision-making: protect the health and wellness of teachers and students, include educators in the decisions that affect instruction, and make durable investments in the professional growth of both new and veteran teachers. These actions will help schools provide high-quality instruction regardless of the delivery mode.
Educators should be active partners in policy decisions that affect their classrooms. Teachers see day-to-day student needs and know what works in practice; involving them in planning and implementation builds more practical, effective policies. Empowering teachers to share feedback and suggest solutions leads to better outcomes for learners.
At the same time, districts and campuses must make educator health and safety a top priority. That includes accommodations for staff and students with underlying medical conditions, access to mental health and emotional support services, and clear protocols that protect school communities. Supporting well-being is essential not only for safety but also for sustaining a motivated, effective workforce.
“There are many ways that districts and policymakers can support educators teaching remotely,” says Christopher Hromalik, a professor of Spanish at Onondaga Community College in the State University of New York system and chair of the ACTFL Distance Learning Special Interest Group. He adds that districts should not only provide equitable access to technology for teachers and students but also fund meaningful professional development so that technology is used for sound pedagogical purposes.
A Growing Teacher Shortage
The United States faced challenges recruiting and retaining qualified teachers even before the pandemic. The Department of Education reported shortages across multiple subject areas in the 2017–18 academic year, with at least 44 states and the District of Columbia identifying a shortage of qualified world language educators. The pandemic has intensified these pressures. In a nationwide poll of educators, the National Education Association found that 28 percent said the COVID-19 crisis made them more likely to retire early or leave the profession.
That trend puts programs and student learning at risk. Without targeted efforts to retain current teachers and to recruit new ones, schools may soon struggle to fill critical positions, including specialty subjects like world languages. Sustained federal, state, and local attention is needed to prevent long-term damage to the teacher pipeline and to maintain diverse, well-prepared educator cohorts.
Support for teachers must include robust professional development, mentorship programs, and incentives that recognize the complexity of modern teaching. Investing in teachers’ careers sends a clear message that the profession is valued, helping attract new candidates and encouraging experienced educators to stay.
The Equity Gap
The pandemic has also exposed and deepened longstanding inequities in education. Racial and economic disparities continue to limit educational opportunities for students of color and those from low-income households, and remote learning has magnified those differences. Many students lack a personal computer, a quiet place to study, or reliable internet access, making equitable participation in at-home instruction difficult or impossible.
Teachers, too, face digital inequities. Nearly 400,000 K–12 teachers in the U.S. live in households without sufficient internet connectivity—roughly one in ten—and about 100,000 teachers lack a home device suitable for remote instruction. This digital divide undermines educators’ ability to deliver consistent, high-quality lessons.
Language access for families whose first language is not English is another area of uneven support. When instructional materials and school communications are not available in families’ native languages, access to services and engagement in learning suffer. To address these barriers, districts should invest in professional translation of communications and ensure materials reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of their communities.
The combined effects of limited technology, insufficient language access, and unmet social-emotional needs disproportionately harm students in low-income neighborhoods, rural communities, English Learners, and Native American students. Closing these gaps requires targeted funding, thoughtful planning, and persistent commitment from policymakers and education leaders.
The Path Forward
There are concrete steps policymakers and administrators can take to preserve educational quality across delivery modes. Congress should prioritize investments to close the technology gap, expand language access, and support students with diverse needs. At the state and local levels, policymakers must emphasize teacher preparation, strengthen supports for educator well-being, and make college and credentialing pathways more affordable and accessible. Schools and districts should value and invest in teachers as much as they invest in digital platforms.
Social and emotional supports are a critical part of this work. Teachers and students alike are experiencing heightened stress; schools must ensure adequate counseling staff and provide training that prepares faculty to recognize and respond to non-academic barriers to success. Proactive planning—making counseling, crisis supports, and self-care resources widely available at the start of the year—will be far more effective than reacting only after problems become acute.
Dr. Hromalik notes the urgency: both students and educators are facing elevated stress levels, and schools should embed counseling and other non-academic services into their plans for the academic year. Early, proactive supports will help mitigate barriers to learning and foster a healthier learning environment for all.
If we fail to act with purpose, educational disparities and teacher shortages will deepen. Our students deserve a future of opportunity, and our teachers deserve the resources, respect, and support needed to do their jobs well. Investing in educators and addressing inequities in access are essential steps toward rebuilding a more resilient, equitable education system.
About the author
Howie Berman is the Executive Director of ACTFL. With nearly 18 years of experience with non-profit membership organizations, he leads efforts to strengthen ACTFL’s influence in the language education community and oversees implementation of policies approved by the ACTFL Board of Directors. He is committed to delivering measurable, cost-effective results to advance ACTFL’s mission of supporting quality language teaching and learning.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on the shift in education toward digital curriculum.