Outside Looking In Essay

1098 Words5 Pages

Hello, I’m Anna Buell. In this episode of Outside Looking In, we will discuss how education has changed and the efforts that some have taken to solve problems prevalent in the public education system today. We will take a look at the inner workings of the education system and learn more about why there is a decline in education and why there are shortages of teachers in many school systems and communities around the country. Also, we will discuss ways in which to control and improve teacher shortages and other issues that are prevalent in schools today. Let’s find out exactly how the public education system for students and teachers is changing.

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The public education system has significantly evolved …show more content…

A decline in literacy, an inability to recruit qualified college graduates for teaching positions, unequal access to educational resources, stagnant compensation for teachers, and many more issues all play a part in the decline of public education (Edsall 1). However, one of the biggest and worsening problems within the education system is the sharp decline of qualified people to fill teaching positions. Researchers have found that there are at least 36,000 vacant teaching positions and at least 163,000 teaching positions that are being filled by underqualified teachers (Edsall 2). Schools are continuing to adopt harder academic standards, and the teachers are left scrambling to try and make their own curriculum with little to no helpful resources on hand (Will 1). One of the biggest reasons why there are fewer and fewer teachers in the education field is the lack of adequate pay for their important jobs and responsibilities (Toch 2). Teachers all over the nation have started to protest and strike in an effort to fight for higher wages and funding for their schools (Will 1). The teaching profession is at its lowest level in about 50 years and it will only continue to fall unless solutions are put in place (Edsall …show more content…

Teacher shortages can significantly decrease student achievement (Carver-Thomas 1). When schools have teacher shortages, they are often forced to cancel courses because of the issues with staffing those classes (Carver-Thomas 1). These schools are being staffed with underprepared and underqualified teachers (Carver-Thomas 1). This causes staff instability in the schools, which then impedes students' ability to create a strong and trusting relationship with their teachers (Carver-Thomas 1). The students at Mississauga high school have experienced this firsthand (Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park 1). Due to the school's financial cutbacks, the students were required to reselect courses for their senior year because classes were being canceled (Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park 1). These students are forced to deal with gaps in their schedules because of issues with staffing and retaining teachers for the school (Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park 1). They have less choice in their schedules and classes because the school system is focused on finding teachers for the required classes for them to receive their diplomas (Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park 1). “If we retain who we’ve got, we won’t have a recruitment problem” (Toch