How the Next Secretary of Education Can Stop the Teacher Shortage
Educational leaders and policymakers must take proactive steps at the local, state and federal levels to increase pay and resources for teachers, and alleviate pressure by reducing class sizes.
Miguel Cardona – President Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of education – faces several urgent and contentious priorities, including reopening schools safely, addressing systemic racism within schools, and reversing the ever-growing teacher shortage. Here, four experts explain how to recruit more people to become educators in the nation’s public schools.
1. Increase pay and reduce class sizes
Bob Spires, associate professor of education, University of Richmond
Illinois school superintendents want to suspend standardized testing
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ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) Remote learning is severely impacting the way school districts judge the progress of students.
Superintendents statewide are calling for a suspension of federal standardized testing requirements. They say normal testing is nearly impossible to do and it s costing both students and teachers.
A handful of students are learning in-person in the 6th grade class at Hillcrest Elementary School. Their desks are spaced more than 6 feet apart. And their teacher divides her attention with the camera on her laptop addressing the rest of the class as they follow along virtually. It s the reality of hybrid learning - and the main reason why they want to skip the government mandated testing this year.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) State officials confirmed Friday they are seeking permission from federal officials to waive standardized reading, math and science testing for another year, citing.
Some states have applied for a federal waiver to skip this spring's testing in schools, but New Jersey has not. Students might take the exams from home.
Math and reading scores for 12th graders in the U.S. were at a historic low even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a massive shift to remote learning, according to results of the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress released in late 2020. We asked three scholars to explain why so many high school seniors aren’t proficient in these critical subjects.
Elizabeth Leyva, director of entry-level mathematics, Texas A&M University-San Antonio
One might expect the jump from high school to college mathematics to be a natural progression, or a small step up in difficulty or expectations. But over time it has actually become a chasm, and that chasm continues to grow.