If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, how come the apples we give teachers don’t keep them away from checking our homework!? 🍎🤔 The dog ate it, we swear.
There’s a nationwide teacher shortage going on and the Keystone State isn’t immune to its problems. Join us now as we dive into the latest stats. 🤓
Here’s Five Fast Facts on PA’s teacher shortage:
- 🧑🏫 Short Staffed - The Philadelphia Inquirer recently dug into new research from Penn State on the commonwealth’s teacher shortage. Data showed that in the 2023-24 school year, 44% of PA schools reported at least one vacancy. In 2024-25, that number decreased slightly to 38%.
- 🏫 School Special - While it’s good to see a reported decline of teacher vacancies, the shortage still has a major impact. Special education teachers are the greatest area of need, with one out of every four school systems reporting at least one special ed job open. Other vulnerable areas of need include English language teachers, tech, science, and math.
- 🧑💻 Digital Get Down - Which type of school has the most unfulfilled teaching jobs? Cyber charter schools. In the 2024-25 school year, 92% of those schools reported vacancies. That’s up from 77% in 2023-24. Over 50% brick-and-mortar charter schools reported vacancies both this and last school year.
- 🤕 Band-Aid Shade - How is PA handling the teacher shortage? Open permanent jobs are covered by substitute or emergency-prepared teachers. The problem there is that many subs don’t have the same qualifications as full-time professionals. Schools also merge classrooms when there’s a teacher shortage, which can lead to a lack of proper attention to students.
- 🎒 The Fix Is In - To fix the problem, education experts suggest giving more incentives to those pursuing a teaching profession, especially in those high needs areas. They also suggest boosting teacher retention and “grow-your-own” teacher recruitment programs.
🔥Bottom line: Speaking of shortages in PA, the state’s agency home care industry is hurting, too. Low pay and high turnover mean less support for the rapidly growing aging population. Read up on all the details in this article!
Are you a teacher in PA?
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