By Franklin Schargel
Like many readers, I follow the coverage of the disruption in education. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I live, retirements across the education workforce rose sharply: during the 2020–2021 school year retirements increased by about 40 percent over the prior year. Classroom teachers have left in large numbers, and so have custodians, principals, superintendents, support staff, bus drivers and food service workers. Commentators point to many causes: the virus itself, the age of the workforce, low pay, a lack of respect, heavy workloads and sheer exhaustion. To date, however, detailed research isolating a single primary cause is limited.
Rebuilding our economy and our public education system must be a priority in 2022 and beyond. In my 2019 book, Who Will Teach the Children? Recruiting, Retaining & Refreshing Highly Effective Educators, I noted that teachers and school leaders were leaving the profession nearly as fast as colleges were preparing them. The pandemic has only deepened that trend.
To reverse the decline we must answer three core questions:
- What drives educators to leave?
- What can be done to keep more of them in the profession?
- How can we refresh and support the educators who remain in classrooms and offices?
Our response should focus on three coordinated actions:
- Recruit highly qualified and effective educators.
- Retain those already serving in schools.
- Refresh the skills and supports for teachers, administrators and staff.
Battered and bruised, but we have survived
The pandemic exposed and amplified weaknesses in public education. It has now disrupted multiple school years. Districts across the country report enrollment declines, widespread learning loss, and deep social-emotional challenges among students. Schools are short on substitutes, bus drivers and food service workers. Many teachers have considered leaving; a RAND study found that nearly one in four were contemplating quitting. Surveys of principals show alarming plans to leave the profession in the coming years as well.
Remote learning changed how education is delivered and stressed everyone involved. Most teachers received little training in remote instruction, and parents were thrust into supporting at-home learning while juggling jobs and other responsibilities. In some communities, devices sat unused in warehouses while families lacked training and connectivity. The result has been academic setbacks, emotional strain and, tragically, irreversible losses for some families and educators.
We’ve tried many approaches, and more are needed
The pandemic accelerated the long-term decline in the teaching pipeline. Over the past decade fewer students entered teacher preparation programs. Historical reforms — from civil service reforms in the late 19th century to local and state changes in how teachers are selected and assigned — have reshaped the profession, sometimes with unintended consequences. For example, reliance on examinations and selection systems has at times produced legal and equity challenges, and many districts have struggled to fill positions, especially in high-poverty, hard-to-staff schools.
Federal initiatives such as competitive grant programs have introduced accountability measures and curricular standards that influenced both teacher evaluation systems and teacher preparation. These policy shifts coincided with declining enrollment in educator preparation programs and growing retention concerns.
Research and policy analysis before the pandemic highlighted a set of core factors driving shortages: high turnover, a dwindling pool of new teachers, difficulties retaining credentialed teachers in challenging settings, and low relative pay. Working conditions — including heavy workloads, limited professional support, and weak career pathways — also play a central role.
What we can do about it
The solution requires tackling the workplace conditions and structural factors that push teachers out and discourage new entrants. That means addressing compensation, school climate, professional development, and supports targeted to high-poverty schools where shortages are most acute.
Key, evidence-informed principles to guide policy include:
- Recognize that teacher shortages stem from multiple causes and require comprehensive, long-term solutions.
- Coordinate efforts across stakeholders—federal, state, district, unions, preparation programs and communities.
- Increase public investment in education to support pay, staffing and professional learning.
- Treat teaching as a profession by improving compensation, career pathways and professional recognition.
Specific policy proposals to stabilize and strengthen the teacher workforce should include:
- Raising teacher pay to attract and retain qualified educators.
- Elevating teacher voice and building stronger professional learning communities to increase teacher influence and belonging.
- Lowering unnecessary barriers that hinder teachers’ ability to do their jobs and hurt morale.
- Designing meaningful professional supports that reinforce purpose, career development and instructional effectiveness.
These policy directions were gaining traction before the pandemic and are even more urgent now. Education Week’s interviews with hundreds of teachers in 2021 reinforced what other studies have shown: stress and burnout are driving a growing number of educators to consider leaving, even as they remain committed to students.
Some local initiatives show promising paths forward. New York City’s Teaching Fellows program, for example, has provided an alternative certification pathway to attract candidates from other careers, and targeted recruitment efforts such as Men Teach aim to diversify the teacher pipeline in areas with chronic shortages. Such programs demonstrate that targeted investment and creative pathways can expand the pool of effective educators—though sustained funding and broader adoption are needed.
As states allocate federal recovery funds, investing in teacher recruitment, retention and professional renewal should be a priority. Strategic use of those dollars can bolster staffing, provide high-quality training, and support schools serving our most vulnerable students.
About the author
Franklin P. Schargel is a former classroom teacher, school counselor and school administrator who designed and led programs that increased parental engagement, raised post-secondary attendance and significantly reduced dropout rates at a Title I high school. His work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and major media outlets. Schargel chaired the Education Division of the American Society for Quality and helped develop the Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria for education.
Schargel is an international speaker, trainer and the author of thirteen books, including Creating Safe Schools: A Guide for School Leaders, Classroom Teachers, Counselors and Parents. He has written more than 100 articles on school improvement and reform.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on the shift in education to digital curriculum.