Districts will likely continue to grapple with staffing shortages for years to come but a survey released this week indicates there is reason to be optimistic.
Most often, applicants desire a salary that's livable and respectable. Unfortunately, not every school district can offer competitive pay. So what are they doing instead?
If you've just entered the superintendency or you're planning to in the future, here are three sessions that cover some of the most pressing concerns new leaders face.
Educators must adopt an approach that frees students to try, fail and learn from that failure, tweak what they're doing and try again. This will empower students to learn and relearn for the rest of their lives.
Lewis Brooks, leader Shelby County Schools, makes it a priority to regularly highlight his students' and staff members' "interests and exceptional accomplishments."
Since Sept. 1, unexpected staff shortages have led eight schools to cancel classes for the day and two others to combine classes. One school had 87% of its teachers call in sick on the same day.
One in five teachers in states without restrictions on race- and gender-related topics reported narrowing their instructional choices. And all educators remain divided over carrying guns in school.
Cardona interacted with kids in the Springfield School District’s after-school SCOPE program, emphasizing the partnership with the city’s Boys and Girls Club as a way to relieve some of the burden on public schools, which have carried greater and greater responsibility for child development beyond classroom learning.
There are few superintendents who aren't losing sleep over staffing their classrooms with enough teachers, and now there's a clearer picture of how the shortages are adding even more pressure to the teachers who are still working.
