The United States is facing a significant shortage of teachers, a crisis that jeopardizes the quality of education for millions of students. In 2023, there were more than 50,000 teacher vacancies in K-12 schools nationwide. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “44% of public schools nationwide reported teacher vacancies. 163,000 teachers were not qualified, and an estimated 270,000 teachers and staff quit or retired each year.” While this issue is complex and multifaceted, two key areas that come up repeatedly are empowering educators and improving classroom discipline.

Empowering Educators

Teachers are the cornerstone of any successful education system. While this is widely known, there is a disconnect between parents and administrators supporting teachers. Unfortunately, this is a nationwide behavior. The video below concerns one teacher's experience and why she resigned from her dream job. She fears for her safety, that of her colleagues, and, most importantly, her students, explaining they are all subjected to physical, emotional, sexual, and mental abuse every day in the Green Bay Area School District she resides and works in. It is an emotional video demonstrating this teacher's desperation to be heard. 

That emotional video is about just one teacher’s horrifying experience in one school district in one out of 50 states. Still, these behaviors and experiences are common in many school districts nationwide. 

This graph, from page 27 of U.S. Education is in Trouble, Let’s Fix It!, shows the dramatic and steep decline in teacher satisfaction over the last twenty years. The book details an article from Education Week citing, “What teachers want is to be able to teach and teach well, and if they can’t do it because their students are unmanageable, because they have a toxic work environment, that discourages them from acting as teachers who are learning and growing and getting better and increasing their commitment to the work.  … The Survey found that about a quarter of teachers don’t feel like students’ parents or guardians respect them. In interviews, teachers said some parents can be combative and demanding, with little regard for their professional expertise.”

Teachers enter this profession for the love of it; it is a calling for many. They go into teaching with a desire to shape and change students' lives for the better, but they are not able to do their jobs, and they will not be happy until they can.

Increasing Discipline 

As we saw in the video, discipline in many schools nationwide has hit an all-time low. The increasing challenge of discipline and classroom management is a significant contributor to teacher burnout and attrition. Disruptive student behavior hinders not only the teacher's ability to teach but also the ability of other students to learn, creating a hostile environment.  

In our blog, We Need Serious and Widespread Education Reform; we detailed how “disruptive children” steal time from other students, reporting that out of the five school days each week, only 3.6 education days occur. The rest of the time is dedicated to classroom discipline. In 2004, the Public Agenda assessed that 80% of classrooms had disruptive children—80,000 public schools. Based on first-hand reports from teachers and education groups' research, we know the problem has only gotten worse from there.  

To address this issue, schools must:

• Implement (and enforce) clear and consistent behavior expectations. Students must understand the consequences of their actions and be held accountable for their behavior not only by their teachers but by administrators and parents as well.
• Provide adequate training and resources for administrators to support teachers appropriately. Equip teachers and administrators with the tools and strategies to manage challenging situations effectively and decide when an administrator needs to step in and remove disruptive individuals from the classroom.
• Involve Parents, Guardians, and Students. A strong partnership between families and educators is crucial to a successful educational experience. Remember to include the people being directly affected by these issues—the students.

Elevating Our Schools

At Elevate Schools, we believe in education reform and are committed to addressing the teacher shortage with strategic and ready-to-implement ideas. Teachers want and deserve a respectful work environment. By empowering educators and implementing effective discipline strategies, we can attract and retain top talent, improve student outcomes, and build stronger school communities. The book U.S. Education is in Trouble, Let’s Fix It! provides 22 reform solutions for school districts across America to implement immediately.

By prioritizing our educator’s well-being and creating a safe, supportive learning environment, we can correct the teacher shortage and ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Let’s work together to Elevate Schools and bring education reform nationwide!

Visit elevateschools.us and join the movement: Demand change from your Chamber of Commerce with this sample letter.