The Teacher Shortage Crisis

By: Trina English Jessica Martin Amanda Werner
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  • Summary

  • Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance.While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.


    This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.


    Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.
    © 2024 The Teacher Shortage Crisis
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Episodes
  • 15. First Hand Accounts: The Reality Struggling Readers Face in the U.S. Public Education System

    15. First Hand Accounts: The Reality Struggling Readers Face in the U.S. Public Education System
    Oct 20 2024

    In this episode of the Teacher Shortage Crisis Podcast, the focus is on the oppressive nature of the U.S. educational system, particularly for individuals with learning disabilities. The host interviews Shelly Gonzalez, who shares her journey of navigating school with a reading disability. Shelly discusses the emotional challenges, lack of adequate support from the educational system, and the impact on her family. The narrative covers personal experiences of being moved to lower-level classes, the role of supportive art teachers, and struggles with self-esteem. Additionally, Shelly reflects on her career choices, from attending a technical school to joining a male-dominated welding profession and ultimately working in law enforcement. The episode underscores the need for systemic reforms, early reading instruction, and the importance of personal support and resilience. It also highlights the association between dyslexia, creativity, and other learning challenges, while offering valuable insights and advice for teachers, parents, and students.

    00:00 Introduction to the Podcast's Mission
    00:52 Shelly's Early Struggles with Reading
    02:06 Navigating School with a Learning Disability
    08:20 Shelly's Middle School Challenges
    11:06 High School and Special Education
    23:37 Impact on Self-Esteem and Career Choices
    25:40 Post-High School Decisions and Support
    28:15 Financial Struggles and Debt
    28:41 Welding Career Path
    28:55 Reading Challenges and Dyslexia
    30:32 Parenting Fears and Dyslexia
    32:57 Acceptance and Adaptation
    36:06 Overcoming Educational Hurdles
    39:52 Support Systems and Encouragement
    44:34 Law Enforcement Career
    48:59 Art and Creativity
    50:08 Reflecting on Personal Growth
    51:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    Visit: teachershortagecrisis.com to contact us and learn more!
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    54 mins
  • 14. The Teacher Pay Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno

    14. The Teacher Pay Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno
    Oct 13 2024

    This episode centers on a discussion about teacher pay, featuring Trina and Dr. Paul Bruno from the University of Illinois. The conversation highlights the complexity and inadequacies of teacher compensation systems, particularly focusing on the disparity in pay between veteran and novice teachers, the rigidity of step and column salary schedules, and the broader socio-economic challenges impacting education funding and teacher retention.

    Trina emphasizes issues such as the historical underpayment of teachers due to structural sexism, while both underscore the significant differences in teaching conditions and pay across districts and states, and the lack of effective support for teachers in high-cost urban areas.

    They call for a reevaluation of teacher pay structures, better support systems, and broader socio-economic reforms to address these issues.

    00:00 Introduction: The Future of Education

    00:18 The Teacher Shortage Crisis

    00:57 Teacher Pay: A Complex Issue

    01:57 Insights from Dr. Paul Bruno

    03:34 Challenges in Teacher Compensation

    05:31 The Importance of Differential Pay

    13:43 Veteran Teachers and Systemic Inequities

    29:32 The Role of School Districts and Administrators

    46:21 The Impact of Housing Costs

    53:45 Conclusion: A Call to Action
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    55 mins
  • 13. The Man Who Studied The Size of the Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno

    13. The Man Who Studied The Size of the Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno
    Sep 22 2024

    In this podcast episode, Trina introduces an episode recorded with Amanda and Dr. Paul Bruno, co-author of a critical article on the teacher shortage crisis. She discusses the major findings of Dr. Bruno's article, emphasizing the chaos in data reporting and the challenges it brings to understanding the true scope of the teacher shortage.

    Dr. Paul Bruno provides nuanced insights into how teacher vacancies and lack of veteran teachers particularly impact student learning. The podcast delves into the methodology Dr. Bruno used in his research, challenges in collecting reliable data, and how local control in the education system complicates efforts to quantify and solve the shortage problem. Dr. Bruno suggests targeted solutions and improved data collection to address the issues effectively.

    In the interview, Trina and Dr. Bruno exchange thoughts on the necessity and efficacy of teacher preparation programs, the impact of local control on K-12 educational governance, and potential solutions like differential pay for hard-to-staff positions and promoting teacher leadership. They conclude with a call to recognize and address the highly localized nature of teacher shortages and their profound impact on disadvantaged students.


    00:00 Introduction and Episode Context

    00:29 Teacher Shortage Crisis Overview

    01:33 Challenges in Data and Accountability

    02:23 Debating the Terms: Shortage vs. Crisis

    05:06 Impact of Teacher Shortages on Students

    07:50 Special Education and Teacher Ratios

    09:33 Veteran Teachers and Retention Issues

    13:18 Introducing Dr. Paul Bruno

    14:11 Dr. Bruno's Background and Research

    16:52 Understanding the Teacher Shortage

    32:01 Methodology and Data Collection

    45:08 Teacher Turnover and Certification Concerns

    46:06 Impact of Overseas Hiring on Teacher Numbers

    47:13 Teacher Roles and Class Sizes

    48:55 Veteran Teacher Retention Issues

    50:25 Challenges in Teacher Credentialing

    59:49 Data Availability on Teacher Shortages

    01:05:59 Local Control and Its Impact on Data

    01:08:20 Proposed Solutions for Teacher Shortages

    01:23:23 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
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    1 hr and 26 mins

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