Giving teachers more autonomy won’t solve U.S. teacher shortages on its own

A “Think Twice” review of a think tank report from the folks at the National Education Policy Center.

Inside Look Great Lakes Center’s exclusive subscriber email featuring key points, information and social media content about reviews and research April 13, 2023READ IN BROWSER Hello, Great Lakes Center subscriber: Teacher shortages are a threat to the U.S. education system, our nation’s economy, and educational equity. In schools facing severe teacher shortages or staffing difficulties, classrooms are often filled with underprepared teachers or out-of-field teachers. The educational imperative for solving teacher shortages has never been stronger than in the age of the post-COVID “Great Resignation.” In a report released by the Progressive Policy Institute that examined rising teacher shortages in the U.S., they attributed shortages mostly to a lack of teacher autonomy, offering autonomous school models as a solution for policymakers to implement. As professionals, educators should be afforded greater decision-making authority; however, the issue of teacher shortages is complicated and the report overlooks other issues districts face when it comes to attracting and retaining teachers, such as staffing gaps, low pay rates and heavy workloads. Read on to learn more. Maddie Fennell Executive Director Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice REPORT REVIEWED Charisse Gulosino of the University of Memphis and Hajime Mitani of Rowan University reviewed “Autonomous Schools Can Help Solve the Problem Behind the Teacher Shortage Problem.” WHAT THE REVIEWER FOUND Gulosino and Mitani found that what is ignored in the Progressive Policy Insitute’s report is far more important to informing policy than what the report contains. The report states autonomous schools empower teachers with greater decision-making responsibilities and authority and argues this practice results in greater job satisfaction for teachers. It explores teachers’ dissatisfaction with their work and concludes many teachers are unhappy due to a lack of autonomy over school policy, curriculum and classroom practices. Gulosino and Mitani found that while the report attempts to isolate the single factor of autonomy and exclude others, the claim that autonomy would solve teacher shortages is an oversimplification. The issue of teacher shortages is complicated, and the report overlooks other issues districts face when it comes to attracting and retaining teachers, such as staffing gaps, low pay rates and heavy workloads. The evidence offered in the report is thin and relies on popular contemporary readings and descriptive surveys, rather than verifiable evidence. Economic theory suggests that teacher shortages result from an imbalance of supply and demand generated by multiple factors. An understanding of local economic conditions and an examination of factors affecting demand and supply is needed to properly address the problem of teacher shortages. Policymakers would also need to assess the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of autonomous school reforms. The authors of the review concluded that the report only focuses on a single factor in what is a systemic issue that varies among localities and offers no useful guidance for policymakers. Read the full review on the Great Lakes Center website or on the National Education Policy Center website. WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Schools that face severe teacher shortages are often filled with underprepared teachers and research has shown students with uncertified or temporarily licensed teachers underperform relative to those with certified teachers. Teacher shortages often tend to be greater in urban and rural schools serving marginalized student populations. If policymakers use the Progressive Policy Institute report’s recommendations on autonomous school reform to address teacher shortages, they would be ignoring the many other factors that contribute to teacher shortages. This could further exacerbate the issue. TALKING POINTS TO REMEMBER The Progressive Policy Institute released a report oversimplifying the issue of teacher shortages and attributing them mostly to a lack of teacher autonomy. A review of the report found the issue of teacher shortages is more complicated than the single issue of teacher autonomy, and the report overlooks other issues districts face when it comes to attracting and retaining teachers. The review concludes the report offers no useful guidance for policymakers. SOCIAL SHARES Want to share this Think Twice Review with your social networks? We drafted some sample social media posts for your use. A report from @ppi oversimplifies the issue of teacher shortages by advocating for autonomous school reform. Read a review of the report: A @nepctweet review found a report advocating for teacher autonomy to address #TeacherShortages isn’t useful for policymaking. Many factors contribute to #TeacherShortages, and policymakers must consider them all when attempting to address the issue. Follow Us

Think Twice, a project of the National Education Policy Center, provides the public, policymakers and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. The project is made possible by funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. Copyright © 2019 Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.Our mailing address is: Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice PO Box 1263 East Lansing, MI 48826-1263