Tackling the Teacher Shortage
Like many of her colleagues, Delila Crain enjoys the challenge of enlightening young minds at Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina, where she teaches algebra and geometry full-time. But there are some very surprising numbers behind this math instructor's career: Crain taught for 31 years before she retired in 2000, and this is her third year of teaching since then!
"I wasn't ready to leave teaching when I retired," says Crain, who is 55. "I'm not ready to stay home every day. What I like to do is go into my room, close my door, and teach my students. As long as my district needs me, I plan to continue."
And chances are Crain's district will continue to need her. With two-thirds of the nation's K-12 teachers expected to leave classrooms over the next 10 years, America's schools are eagerly courting qualified professionals to fill their ranks, especially in inner cities and rural communities. Crain also has experience where it counts most. Teachers of math, science, and special education are prized in particular. These fields are losing nearly 20 percent of their instructors each year, and student enrollments are rapidly rising overall. Compounding the school leadership crisis is another estimate that says about half of all school principals are expected to retire in the next five years.
To boost the supply of K-12 educators, schools nationwide have resorted to strategies that involve hunting down the best and brightest college grads, offering signing bonuses to new recruits, convincing mid-career professionals to switch to teaching, and even enlisting people from other countries. Some experts, however, say that an effective long-term solution may rely more on experienced teachers like Delila Crain than fresh new recruits.
An Exodus of Educators
While much of the looming shortage can be explained by a large wave of veteran educators approaching retirement, a study by Dr. Richard Ingersoll of the University of Pennsylvania suggests that teacher turnover is the real problem. It estimates that almost a third of America's teachers flee their profession sometime during their first three years of teaching, and almost half leave after five years. Low salaries, student disciplinary problems, and a lack of support from their school administration are among teachers' most commonly voiced reasons for burning out and jumping ship.
While the challenge of keeping educators onboard is most acute in low-income areas, it crosses all communities and all sectors of education. "Our inability to support high-quality teaching in many of our schools is driven not by too few teachers coming into the profession but by too many teachers leaving the profession," says Jim Hunt, chairman of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF). "If we focus on stemming the exodus of excellent teachers, we can go a long way towards reducing teacher shortages."
Retirees to the Rescue
Research shows that quality-mentoring programs can sway a newly minted teacher to stick it out instead of bailing out. So veterans of teaching and retirees may find themselves in demand as counselors to less experienced instructors. They may also find they have the flexibility to return as full- or part-time teachers in many schools. "Bringing retired teachers back into schools gives you a double benefit," says NCTAF executive director Dr. Tom Carroll. "Each person becomes another seasoned teacher in the classroom to offset a shortage, but if that experience is used to support and mentor young teachers, it can reduce attrition rates of novices who are no longer being thrown in, sink-or-swim." In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President Bush has issued orders that, by 2006, all teachers in public schools be "highly qualified," and, as Carroll states, "retired teachers are a huge reserve pool of qualified teachers."
What Can You Do?
Get in touch with the Retired Educators Association (REA) in your area. Find out how it supports schools, and what policies it has that can help retirees find re-employment in classrooms. Then ask how you can help out. In Oklahoma, one former educator created a large fund that offers teachers grants and classroom supplies. Laws in states such as Maryland and South Carolina support retired teachers by letting them earn extra money as re-employed teachers without the loss of pension benefits. "This initiative is really helping out school districts with their teacher shortage," says Lawrence Leak, assistant state superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education. "We have the policies in place to attract teachers who have retired but would love to continue as teachers." To locate an REA in your area, visit the official National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA) Web site.
With Our Youth! Program
Get involved with the NRTA's With Our Youth! program, which began in 1997 as a pledge to America's young people at the President's Summit for America's Future. With Our Youth! can offer you the support and resources you need to serve as a mentor and role model to kids and teens. It encourages older folks to volunteer in museums and libraries, participate in tutoring and mentoring programs, and assist with youth sports and arts activities in their local communities. As part of With Our Youth!, state and local REAs have served over half a million young people in a thousand communities in their first three years. The program also honors outstanding volunteers on a national level with special awards. To find a With Our Youth! program in your area, visit With Our Youth!.
Contact your local school district's personnel office for mentoring and substitute teaching opportunities, or find out where you can have the most impact as a volunteer. Whether you're in the cafeteria monitoring kids—and giving teachers a much-needed break from students—or in the library reading stories to eager young listeners, you can make a difference. On the high-school level, you can sponsor a Future Teachers of America club to entice would-be educators. And if you're tech-savvy, you may also find opportunities to help students face-to-face in computer labs or in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
"AARP members are already part of the community, and principals are usually excited about having volunteers willing to help," says Jan McCarthy, president of the South Carolina Education Association.
