Missouri鈥檚 teacher shortage has been a problem for many years. Now, education advocates report that teachers are leaving the field at an unprecedented rate.
鈥淚t was alarming to have many of our members come to us in January and say, 鈥榊ou know what, I'm finished teaching for the year. I'm not going back,鈥欌�� said Missouri State Teachers Association spokesperson Todd Fuller. 鈥淭hat has happened more over the last two years than it's ever happened before.鈥�
Educators cite low pay (Missouri teachers work for some of the ) as a reason for leaving, as well as poor student behavior. Their concerns extend outside the classroom: Educators who in the past year said their decisions came after community members directed outrage toward teachers over curriculum and programs offered at school.
鈥淲hy did they have to hire security for professional educators in Rockwood?鈥� said Heather Fleming, founder and director of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership. 鈥淗ow many other places might have to do that because of what's happening and the fact that this rhetoric turns up the heat on teachers so much?鈥�
Compounding the crisis is the lack of new teachers to fill the gaps. There鈥檚 been a 25% to 30% decline in the number of Missouri college graduates who go through the process of becoming certified to teach, according to Fuller, who added that 80% to 90% of those graduates are white.
That鈥檚 a concern for Fleming, who said that research shows the academic achievement of Black students improves when they have a teacher who looks like them.
鈥淢ore African American students are identified for gifted programs by African American teachers than by white teachers,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his ends up being a conversation that school districts around the state have over and over again 鈥� and we never quite come up with a solution for: 鈥楬ow do we attract and retain good, minority educators?鈥欌��
Fleming and Fuller joined Wednesday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air to discuss the state of Missouri鈥檚 teacher shortage and what needs to happen in order for more people, especially those of more diverse backgrounds, to consider the profession. Listen to the conversation on , , or or by clicking the play button below.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by , , , and . The audio engineer is . Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
