The Complexities of the

U.S. Teacher Exodus

Jessica Ebel | Chase Rowley | Kathryn Sickinger
SMB 57501 | Week 6 Assignment
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 Table of Contents

❖ Introducing the Problem

❖ Mapping the System
❖ Breaking Down the Causes
➢ Financial Causes & Solutions
➢ Conditional Causes & Solutions
➢ Moral/Ethical Causes & Solutions
❖ Conclusion
❖ References
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 INTRODUCING THE PROBLEM
The year 2020 has disrupted much regarding
everyday life across the globe- from toilet paper
shortages to the thousands of Americans
transitioning to work-from-home. Meanwhile,
teachers and students across the country
scrambled to implement remote learning. With
vaccine rates rising, some of life’s pleasure are
returning. However, not all is going back to what it
once was.

For years, the phrase “teacher shortage” has been

used to describe what’s happening in our public
schools. However, this phrase ignores the context
of the problem. Given the wages and conditions
teachers face, fewer individuals are willing to seek
employment in schools, and the reality is that
teachers are exiting the field at alarmingly high
rates and the pandemic has only made it worse.
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 UNDERSTANDING
THE WHY

While COVID-19 has impacted the industry, it is

more of a scapegoat rather than the actual cause.

Much like other industries, the following issues

are present in today’s education system and
negatively impact both teachers and students:

Systemic Socioeconomic Barriers to Higher

Racism Inequality Education
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 Understanding the System
As we examine the data in the next section, the details that form a
larger picture begin to emerge. Before we blame teachers or
implement new solutions, it is imperative that we apply more
honesty in labeling the problem. It is an exodus. It is a crisis. Clearly,
these problems do not stem from a nationwide “shortage”, but an
abandonment of our most needed schools and the underserved
minority and low-income populations within them. When we greet
systemic racism and socioeconomic inequality head-on, only then
can we select the most appropriate approaches.
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MAPPING THE SYSTEM
 COMMON ARCHETYPES
SYSTEMS MAPPING
The following diagrams are inspired by David Stroh’s book:
Systems Thinking for Social Change. This is an attempt to
identify common archetypes and map the larger context of
the teacher exodus in the hopes that it will inform possible
strategies and solutions.
All data used for these maps was derived from a synthesis of
the literature on teacher attrition completed by Jessica Ebel in
December of 2019. We have attached that unpublished
literature review (entitled Linking the Teacher Exodus to
Systemic Racism, Socioeconomic Inequality, and Barriers to
Higher Education) as a complement to this presentation.
THE BATHTUB ANALOGY
At first, the teacher “shortage” appears to be a standard issue
of “flow” as described by the Bathtub Analogy (Stroh, 2015).
However, a closer examination indicates that the proverbial
bathtub is much leakier on one side, as illustrated in Figure 1.
This discovery helps as we begin to redefine the problem as an
“exodus” rather than a “shortage” and uncovers racism as a
contributor.
While an increase of inflow seems to be an easy fix, a decline
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in interest with in the field of education is established in the
literature (Figure 2).
The following archetypes are present within the wider context
of the problem:
SUCCESS TO THE SUCCESSFUL
This pattern occurs when wealth or success concentrates into
the hands of the few (Stroh, 2015). Research indicates that
schools are still segregated by race and income level today.
The problem stems from housing issues that have created
segregation, the decline of the middle class, the increasing
gap between the wealthy and the poor, and unfair property
and income tax policies in our country.
The link between poverty and race is established in the
literature. In a 2016 study from the National Center for
Educational Statistics, researchers found that “about
three-fourths of both African American and Hispanic young
people (compared to about one-third of white students)
attend schools where most of their classmates qualify as
low-income” (Boschma & Brownstein, 2016). Data showed that
in 85.6% of major cities, African American students attended
schools where most of the students were low-income. For
Hispanics, that figure was 88.5% while in only 37% of cities did
most white students attend schools where the majority of
their classmates were poor. The study concluded that
concentrated poverty directly correlates to the racial
achievement gap (Boschma & Brownstein, 2016).
As demonstrated in Figure 3, lack of school funding in
lower-income, high-minority schools leads to inequality of
course offerings and lower levels of teacher quality and
experience. These outcomes then affect student achievement
and later on, access to higher education.
 COMMON ARCHETYPES
SHIFTING THE BURDEN
To fill teaching positions, administrators are hiring applicants
with no formal teaching training for emergency and
temporary teaching jobs. In a seminal 2016 report from the
Learning Policy Institute, researchers estimated the gap for
needed teachers is at roughly 110,000 per year (Sutcher,
Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016). However, García &
Weiss (2019b) propose that this gap is far greater when
accounting for all of the teachers who are currently working
without proper credentials, especially in high-poverty schools
which unintentionally contributes to systemic racism.
According to the EPI report, those who meet the high-quality
criteria has steadily declined over time. “Nationwide, one third
of teachers do not have a background in the main subject
they teach. And over 20% have fewer than 5 years of teaching
experience. Roughly 9% are teaching without required state
certification” (García & Weiss, 2019b). By other estimates,
390,000 classrooms opened without a qualified teacher this
year (Bartoletti, 2019).
This relationship of shifting the burden is illustrated in Figure
4, which also outlines alternative certification programs as
solutions that backfire.
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FIXES THAT BACKFIRE
Test-based accountability has failed to improve schools, and
policy has created unintended consequences that are
damaging, especially within disadvantaged environments. The
Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better (2017)
from Harvard professor Dr. Daniel Koretz declares
that testing has “become an end in itself, harming students
and corrupting the very ideals of teaching.” There seems to be
widespread confusion about what tests can and cannot do: All
testing does is measure the gap. It is not a solution in and of
itself. Dr. Tim Slekar echoes that sentiment. “You will never
achieve equity in education by spending the few resources
you have (money) on tests. Tests don’t produce equity. They
just show that you have inequity.” (McCoy, Ferrett, & Slekar
2019). Teachers know that testing is not the answer and they
are increasingly asked to do things that are not in the best
interests of the children they are trying to reach. The growing
tendency is to blame teachers or parents when in reality,
larger societal factors are at work and circumstances exist
beyond what they can control in their classrooms. As testing
leads to failing schools, teachers are labeled as inadequate.
Feeling demoralized, they have no choice but to leave. Figure
5 highlights the relationship between high-stakes testing and
the teacher exodus as a fix that backfires.
The links between poverty, systemic racism, neoliberal policy,
high-stakes testing, funding loss, and the teacher exodus are
illustrated in Figure 6. This is an attempt to view the complex
system as a vicious cycle that continually defunds and breaks
down public schools.
FIGURE 1: MAPPING A SYSTEM OF WICKED PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION
Since the 1980’s the number of teachers
has ballooned, even for math and science
teachers. There should be enough inflow
to replace retiring teachers. However,
The Divided Bathtub
Incoming
there are wait lists for high-income
One half of the bathtub SYSTEMIC
schools, while low-income schools have
college students chronic vacancies. (inflow)
is leakier than the other. RACISM
are choosing
other
professions High-income, low-minority schools

Migration from
low-income schools
to high-income
Perception of 40-50% of new
teaching as an teachers leave Length of teaching career over time Retirement
undesirable within the first Line divides two types of schools 45% of all turnover (outflow)
Higher levels of
career 5 years beginning and mid occurs in the same
low-income,
career attrition at
Loss of potential low-income, high-
high-minority urban
and rural schools
teachers minority schools
(inflow)
Low-income, high-minority schools

Inadequate pay
practices

Poor working
TEACHER
conditions ATTRITION
 FIGURE 2: A DECLINE IN INTEREST

37.8% 27% 15.4%

According to Garcia 37.8% drop in 27% drop in 15.4% drop in the The decreased inflow
& Weiss (2019d) enrollment for completion rates total number of of new teachers can be
from the Economic teacher prep education degrees linked to the
Policy Institute, the programs awarded “perception of teaching
as an undesirable
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following declines
occurred from career”
2008 to 2016: (Coash-Johnson, 2019).
 FIGURE 3: SYSTEMIC RACISM AS A VICIOUS CYCLE

Perpetuation
of economic TEACHER SYSTEMIC
and racial ATTRITION
inequality RACISM
Taking One half of the bathtub
remedial and is leakier than the other.
low-paying Generational
jobs to survive poverty linked

Lower college
SUCCESS TO THE to race
“White flight”
completion
rates for
SUCCESSFUL weakens the tax Gerrymandered
school districts
base
minority and segregate high
low-income Schools with high and low-income
poverty less-likely Research schools
students
to offer courses indicates that
Student loan needed for college non-white
debt districts recieve
Low-income SAT scores
less funding
and minority directly High-minority,
than majority
students INEQUALITY OF correlate with low-income
white districts
historically family income schools less
ACCESS TO likely to retain
excluded from
higher HIGHER experienced
education EDUCATION teachers
 FIGURE 4: FIXES THAT BACKFIRE & SHIFTING THE BURDEN

TEACHER SYSTEMIC
ATTRITION RACISM
X
FI
K
IC

One half of the bathtub

QU

Significantly lower retention rates

for alternatively certified teachers is leakier than the other.
(Teach for America, New York City
Teaching Fellows) when compared More vacancies
with traditionally certified teachers in districts
where the
majority
of students are
ALTERNATIVE low-income

QUICK FIX
PATHWAYS
High-minority Lower levels of
schools are twice student
as likely as their achievement
white peers to
have inexperienced
teachers
Lowering of
HIRING UNQUALIFIED teaching
OR INEXPERIENCED standards
TEACHERS

Perception of
teaching as an
undesirable
career
INADEQUATE PAY
PRACTICES
No pay for student teaching
Student loan debt
Teachers earn 20% less than
college grads in other fields
Forced to take on second jobs
In many states, mid-career teachers
with families qualify for government
subsidies
Higher percentage of teachers are
female and low teacher salaries
contribute to the gender wage gap
Smaller salaries are attributed to
attrition
FIGURE 4: FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXODUS
TEACHER
EXODUS
HIGH STAKES
TESTING
Test-based accountability can be linked to pay
Underperforming schools are labeled as “failing”
Teachers get blamed which leads to attrition
Legislators & special interest groups offer parents “schools choice” in
the form of vouchers
Taxpayer funds move from public schools toward for-profit schools
Loss of teacher autonomy & shared leadership
Increased levels of stress & burnout
Lack of respect for the teaching profession leads to the demoralization
of teachers
Teachers who feel that testing harms students and the ideals of
teaching become “conscientious objectors” & leave the field
Testing funds could be used to fund other programs
SYSTEMIC
RACISM
POOR WORKING
CONDITIONS
Negative incentives drive teachers out DECLINE IN
Chronic stress, fatigue, mental health issues, burnout, & SCHOOL CLIMATE
demoralization lead to attrition
Working conditions inspire school strikes (Red for Ed) Attrition harms school climate
Increased class sizes Leads to discipline problems & poor
student motivation
Cuts to course offerings: PE, Art, Music
Poor administrative support
Struggle to staff special ed, STEM, foreign language, &
ESL/bilingual programs Lack of professional development
opportunities
Lack of needed librarians, nurses, & mental health counselors
Increased reliance on standardized
Shortage of male, African American, & Latino teachers testing
Crumbling infrastructure, lack of materials, & tech equipment Lack of autonomy
Lack of funding causes admin to select “free” curriculum Lack of influence in decision-making
FIGURE 5: NEOLIBERAL POLICY & THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF FUNDING LOSS
TEACHER EXODUS
National estimated cost of teacher attrition: $2.2 to 2.6 billion per year
GENERATIONAL
POVERTY

INADEQUATE PAY POOR WORKING HIGH STAKES UNFAIR PROPERTY

TESTING & INCOME TAX SYSTEMIC
PRACTICES CONDITIONS
POLICY RACISM
Funding used for
testing could be
spent on student
outcomes NEOLIBERAL POLICY
Neooliberal policy favors privatization,
competitiveness, & deregulation.

Causes LOWER STUDENT FUNDING LOSS QUICK FIXES It aims to redistribute wealth to ruling
leaders to ACHIEVEMENT elites via government structures.
discontinue
Alternative Hiring unqualified
funding, It’s primary aim of education is to
pathways to or inexperienced
even if produce workers for the economy.
certification teachers
intervention
programs Change in leadership leads to It opens the system up to strategic
are highly the elimination of programs, SANCTIONS BASED investment from for-profit entities.
successful even if intervention is working
ON TEST SCORES
VOUCHERS It leads to the breakdown of public
ECONOMIC CHANGES IN education.
DOWNTURN POLITICAL CLIMATE
It is inherently racist.
APPLYING THE
TEACHER LENS
In order to devise solutions that
prevent the exodus of teachers, we
must apply a teacher lens. The root FINANCIAL
causes for the teacher exodus can
be categorized into three
overlapping categories.
How are teacher pay
CONDITIONAL
In general, the rationales for exiting and school funding MORAL/
the profession can be viewed from intricately linked to ETHICAL
the teacher exodus? Which working
interrelated financial, conditional,
and moral/ethical standpoints. conditions in schools
strongly influence
teacher attrition? What happens when
Further research of the following teachers feel that
questions would determine how they have no control
various combinations of solutions over policies and
could eliminate systemic racism practices that harm
and the economic injustice that is children?
ingrained within our public school
system and prevent more teacher
attrition.
 Financial Causes
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 MONEY MATTERS

As we examine the possibilities for improvement, it is crucial to

note which solutions have failed. With this in mind, policymakers,
administrators, and teachers can craft solution sets using a
two-pronged approach.

Some root causes must be addressed from the outside with a

top-down framework while others can be targeted from within
the school districts themselves as grassroots efforts.

This section focuses on top-down strategies to address the

underlying financial causes that lead to teacher attrition.
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 The Teacher Pay Gap

Before entering Upon graduating, Some teachers Majority of In 2015-2016,

the field, teachers teachers make have to take on dissatisfied teachers in
are at a 20% less than second or even teachers leave high-poverty schools
disadvantage others with third jobs to make because of poor had significantly
because of college degrees in a livable wage salary (Ingersoll & lower salaries
student loan debt other fields (García & Weiss, Smith, 2003). ($53,300/year)
accumulation and (Coash-Johnson, 2019c). compared to those in
have to student 2019) low-poverty schools
teach without pay. ($58,900/year)
(García & Weiss,
2019e).
 Teacher Salary and National Achievement Study
A study was conducted to compare US secondary school teacher salaries with those in 29 other
countries.

It then examined if there was a relationship between teachers’ salary and national student
achievement in math and science.

“The following research questions were addressed in this study:

1. How does average salary of secondary school teachers in the U.S. in 2006 compare with that of 29
other countries?

2. How did average teacher salary change from 2003 to 2006 in the U.S. and 29 other countries?

3. How are average teacher salary in 2006 and salary change from 2003 to 2006 associated with
national average student achievement in mathematics and science in 2006?”
(Akiba, Chiu, Shimizu, & Liang, 2012, p. 172)
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 Results for
Lower
Secondary
School

(Akiba, Chiu,
Shimizu, & Liang,
2012)
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 Results for
Upper
Secondary
School

(Akiba, Chiu,
Shimizu, & Liang,
2012)
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 Teacher Salary and National Achievement Study
Conclusions
● This study showed that the US was lower than the international average for investing to the
salaries of experienced teachers
○ This is a clear indicator of why teacher burnout in the US is so common
○ Experienced teachers feel they are not being compensated appropriately and leave the
profession entirely
○ This is a problem that can be fixed
● This study showed a positive correlation between higher average salaries for experienced
teachers and higher national student achievement
○ More experienced teachers are going to know various teaching techniques that are
going to improve student performance

(Akiba, Chiu, Shimizu, & Liang, 2012)

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 INCREASE INCENTIVES
Increase teacher pay: The teacher pay scale
should match that of other college-educated
professionals. In addition, the United States
should increase teacher salaries so that per
capita income is in line with that of top-rated
developed nations.
Implement paid residencies: These programs
offer an affordable pathway toward teaching.
Districts that offered paid residencies report
higher teacher retention rates, more diversity,
and more effective teachers.
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Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program: Teachers
qualify if they teach full time for five
consecutive years in a low-income school or
educational service.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness: This would
include teaching in a qualifying school and
making loan payments for ten years. Some
schools will fund continuing education so
teachers can go back for advanced degrees
 THE SAN FRANCISCO
TEACHER RESIDENCY
A CASE STUDY FOR FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
In 2010, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) partnered with
the University of San Francisco (USF), Stanford University, and United
Educators of San Francisco the create the San Francisco Teacher
Residency (SFTR).
Participants:
● received a 50% tuition reimbursement at USF or scholarship support
and loan forgiveness at Stanford
● received more than $17,000 in stipends, $15,000 in housing grants,
and free healthcare benefits
● visited classrooms to observe experts during clinical rounds
● were guaranteed a teaching job within SFUSD
● received 2 additional years of coaching and mentoring support
Outcomes:
● 80% of SFTR graduates were still teaching in SFUSD within 5 years
● 97% of all graduates were still teaching
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● 66% of SFTR graduates were teachers of color

● 100% of principals agreed that SFTR graduates are more effective
than other new teachers
(Guha, Hyler, & Darling-Hammond, 2017)
 TOP-DOWN FUNDING APPROACHES
Secure funding streams: It is imperative that Due to funding, California eventually discontinued all
these long-term solutions which provide funding eight teacher development and support programs in
and support are protected from changes within the the early 2000s. North Carolina also enacted similar
economic and political spheres. When exploring programs that advanced the teaching profession.
support programs in California and North Carolina, However, when the political climate changed in the
Berry & Shields (2017) found that efforts to curb late 2000s, the legislature began to cut funding and
attrition were highly successful in both states, but eliminated programs leading to a drop in enrollment
were later dismantled because of economic and and lowering of teaching standards.
political pressures. Both states increased minimum
teacher pay, provided scholarships and forgivable
loans, created mentoring and incentive systems, and
supported National Board Certification for veteran
teachers.
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 AMEND PROPERTY AND
INCOME TAX POLICIES
A 2019 report from nonprofit EdBuild found that on a national level
“non-white school districts get $23 billion less than white districts
despite serving the same number of students” (EdBuild, 2019). This
finding is due to the fact that school funding is determined by
property taxes and the way in which district borders are
gerrymandered to separate wealthy communities. Though states
attempt to make the system more equitable, the gaps are still
significant. The largest funding discrepancy was in Arizona, where
non-white districts received an average of $7,613 more than those
with concentrated minority populations. Education is a fundamental
right and public institutions are the cornerstone of a healthy
democracy. According to the report:

“The racial and economic segregation created by gerrymandered

school district boundaries continues to divide our communities and
rob our nation’s children of fundamental freedoms and opportunity.
Families with money or status can retain both by drawing and
upholding invisible lines. Many families do just that. This, in
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conjunction with housing segregation, ensures that—rather than a

partial remedy—district geographies serve to further entrench
society’s deep divisions of opportunity.” (EdBuild, 2019, para. 3)
 Conditional Causes
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 DOING MORE WITH LESS

Long-term solutions that focus on a change in working conditions

can be accomplished at the individual school level and may prove
to be less expensive than other reforms (Ingersoll, 2011).

A generic solution will never work; actions must be targeted and

specific according to school need. Action research can determine
what works to recruit and retain teachers and enable communities
to get specific about which policies, practices, and working
conditions directly correlate with staffing issues.

This section focuses on grassroots efforts from within the school

districts themselves that will address the underlying conditional
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causes that lead to teacher attrition.

 IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS
Community-based teacher recruitment:
Educators Rising programs could to draw
students from local high schools into the field
of education. Grow-Your-Own programs
recruit leaders from the community who
represent the identities of student they will
teach (i.e. male, African American, and Latino
teachers).
Collaborate with community colleges:
Competency-Based College Programs could
provide college grads who are switching
careers and other nontraditional students with
necessary classroom teaching skills.
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Increase administrative support:
Administrators can implement programs to
increase family involvement and improve
student discipline practices.
Improve professional development:
Schools can provide more mentoring and
incentive programs, individualized coaching,
on-site evaluation, and feedback. Programs
should focus on increasing student motivation
and outcomes.
 PREVENT ATTRITION IN THE FIRST 5 YEARS
Induction Programs:
Induction and mentorship makes a difference. According to
the 2000-2001 Teacher Follow up Survey from the National
Center for Education Statistics, those first-year teachers who
participated in mentoring programs left at lower rates than
those who did not participate, at 11.9% and 17.6% respectively.
Further research indicates that quality support systems do
play a role in the shortage. Larger portions of teachers who
persisted had been assigned to a mentor (77%) while of
those who quit, only 69% had a mentor. The results for
induction programs were similar, with 11.8% of those who
participated leaving compared with a larger portion (18.6%)
of those who did not participate (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003).
Induction programs prevent the loss of new teachers, with
mentoring and common departmental planning time
having the strongest effect.
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Many schools at least include a mentor and principal
support as part of the onboarding process. New teachers
who had only these two supports had higher retention rates
than those who did not. Other schools may offer additional
programs, seminars, collaborative planning time, classroom
aides, or a reduced teaching load within the first year. Data
revealed that the likelihood of turnover decreased as the
number of components in induction packages increased
(Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). A later meta-analysis of 15
empirical studies showed that teachers who participated in
various induction activities performed better overall as
practicing teachers. In general, these teachers were better at
lesson planning and used more effective questioning
strategies. They also had more positive classroom
atmospheres and were more successful in classroom
management. Finally, most studies showed that the
students had higher scores or gains on academic
achievement tests if their teacher had participated in
induction (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011).
 COMPREHENSIVE INDUCTION
A CASE STUDY FOR SUPPORTING NEW TEACHERS

The Arizona K-12 Center has studied teacher retention extensively and
developed best practices for the Arizona Master Teacher Mentor Program.
Components:
● rigorous mentor selection and professional development for mentors
● common planning time for mentor-teacher interactions
● specific guidance on teaching practices
● standards and data-based evaluation
● ongoing professional development for beginning teachers
Outcomes:
● the first year is crucial for developing teacher effectiveness
● second-year teachers who continued to receive support had greater
gains in student achievement which support at least a two-year
induction period
● formal programs with full-time mentors who do not have classroom
responsibilities were more effective
● In a study from the New Teacher Center at University of California,
Santa Cruz, 88% of teachers who participated in induction programs
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were still teaching after 6 years

(Wiebke & Bardin, 2009)

 Moral/Ethical Causes
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 DIVING INTO MORALE

While some solutions target working conditions, others

can focus on improving the school climate. Though
school climate is closely linked to working conditions, it
is more related to leadership: how the school operates
and how decisions are made.

Through multiple studies it has been found that the

overall lack of autonomy and how teachers are being
evaluated is leading to demoralization and eventual
flight from the profession altogether.
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 DEMORALIZATION,
NOT BURNOUT

While teacher burnout is real, Santoro who is a professor and

chair of the Education Department proposes that it is
demoralization that is a leading cause of teacher attrition.

“For teachers experiencing demoralization, the moral

dilemma is not what they should do to be a good
teacher, but that they cannot do what they believe a
good teacher should do in the face of policies, mandates,
and institutional norms’.” (Santoro, 2018, p. 43)

This demoralization is best understood in that teachers feel a

lack of autonomy in their classrooms and with the overall
structure of the educational system. Often when teachers have
left the profession, they’re passion remains strong to change
how things operate, but could no longer stay due to their own
moral compass.
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 DEMORALIZATION CONTINUED
Since the 1990s some schools have initiated incentives and sanctions based on test
scores. Schools are increasingly using test data to evaluate teachers, even linking
these results to pay practices. Standardized testing, sanction policies in
combination with a lack of resources, poor student behavior, ineffective
administrations are causing teachers to ”feel a sense of pointlessness as if their
efforts don’t have enough impact within the given system” (Harshman, 2019).

A Georgia poll of 53,000 teachers suggested that those who exit the profession felt
“devalued” by policy and “under constant stress” from high-stakes testing and
unfair teacher evaluation practices (Downey, 2016). Other studies corroborate the
lack of support, high stress, and low morale that today’s teachers experience
(Tesfamichael, 2019; Ryan et al., 2017).
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AUTONOMY & SATISFACTION

71% 49% 27%

of teachers feel they have of teachers express of teachers think

little control/influence on overall dissatisfaction about leaving the
the content, topics, and with their profession. profession.
skills taught in their
classrooms.
(García & Weiss, 2019e)
 PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

RESPECT COMMUNITY INCLUDE AUTONOMY TESTING

Increase Schedule Implement Give teachers De-emphasize
respect for the common shared more autonomy high-stakes
profession to departmental decision-making in their standardized
help prevent planning time so so that teachers classrooms, testing and
demoralization that both new have a say in curriculums, and instead look for
and seasoned what is being teaching and alternative ways
teachers can taught and how testing methods to evaluate both
collaborate and the school is teachers and
not feel isolated operating students
 REDUCING STANDARDIZED TESTING
A CASE STUDY IN MORAL/ETHICS

In 2017, reform campaigns began cropping up across the country to reduce

high-stakes exams. Through widespread public awareness campaigns, activist
groups increased public awareness of long-lasting damage done by the overuse of
standardized testing. These campaigns have led to positive changes such as only 11
states requiring high school exit exams (FairTest, 2019) and others states cutting
overall state/district testing.

Other wins that activists groups have brought about are:

● Ending or reducing the use of test scores to evaluate teachers
● Offering an opt-out option to parents to remove their child from testing
● Adoption of performance assessments that are teacher-made and replacing
testing
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(Strauss, 2017)
Benefits of Removing Standardized Testing

There is little Standardized testing Standardized testing With a high emphasis It is no secret that
opportunity to receive limits creativity and does not value on testing, teachers standardized test
feedback after a pushes the diversity and treats are pigeon holed into create stress for
state/district test assumption that there every student as if focusing only on the teachers, parents, and
which means less is only one right they are the same subject that are students. The best
opportunity for a answer or way to person. tested. student can crack
student to grow. solve a problem. under the pressure of
Creativity is also not Removing these tests Without that a standardized test.
Allowing for rewarded but often allow for more emphasis, teachers
teacher-led devalued. tailored approach to can apply equal focus Removing these test
assessments means each student and on a variety of topics, will help to alleviate
students get Allowing for district on what they allowing for students that stress on all three
feedback in realtime alternatives forms of need to be the most to become more groups which means
and be empowered to evaluation will allow successful. knowledgeable in a more productive
do better. for students to variety of subjects. learning can be had.
flourish in their
creativity.
Conclusion
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 SHIFTING MENTAL MODELS
VISIBLE SYMPTOMS & STRUCTURES:

This presentation and the accompanying

literature review have explained the

01
events, patterns, trends, and underlying
systemic structures that contribute to the
teacher exodus. While this helps to define
the problem, the real work is in surfacing
mental models to prompt catalytic
conversation toward accepting the need
FINANCIAL CONDITIONAL for change.

INVISIBLE MENTAL MODELS:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit How are teacher pay Which working What happens when
Most Americans assume that the
amet, consectetuer and school funding conditions in schools teachersSupreme
feel that Court ended school segregation
adipiscing elit. intricately linked to strongly influence they have no control
with their ruling from the 1954 Brown v.
Aenean commodo the teacher exodus? teacher attrition? over policies
Board andof Education court case. This
decision overturned the 1896 ruling from
ligula eget dolor. practices that harm
Plessy v. Ferguson, which dictated that
children?
facilities for whites and minorities could
remain “separate but equal”. Evidence
from multiple studies indicates that this is
a myth, and schools are still completely
segregated by race and economic status
today.
 LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
ONE PROMISING FINDING
There is one promising finding: once first generation
students complete college, the playing field finally becomes
level for them. In a 2018 brief from the National Center for
Education Statistics, findings indicated that there were “no
statistically significant differences in the rates of full-time
employment 4 years after completing their degrees” among
2007–08 bachelor’s degree recipients, regardless of their
status as first generation or continuing generation students.
Between 57 and 59 percent were employed full time.
Furthermore, “median annualized salaries were not
statistically different among either full-time ($43,000–
$45,500) or part-time workers ($12,500–$16,100)” (Cataldi,
Bennett & Chen, 2018). These days, it seems that a college
education is the great equalizer. If our country wants to
close the achievement gap, it must ensure that all students
have equal access to high-quality teachers who can remove
barriers and guide them on the path toward completing a
college degree.
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 A WAY FORWARD
While it may be convenient to assume that it is due the pandemic or limited supply of
quality teachers, the research paints a much more complex picture of why teachers are
leaving the industry as a whole. The danger in operating under the false premise that
there is a shortage is that fact that it opens the door for lowering teaching standards and
justifies this trend instead of coming up with solutions that will address root problems.

Current financial systems that funnel money to higher income, more affluent areas
disproportionately affect low income BIPOC communities and add stress to both
teachers and students.

Under-supported working conditions impact teachers greatly while the school board
and public create lofty expectations that teachers can rarely meet with limited resources.

Lastly, teacher have little to no control over what they can teach, how they can teach it,
and are confined into teaching to standardized tests that do not account for the diverse
population of students across the country.

Each of these issues is large on its own, but they are deeply connected to one another.
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Understanding these relationships will help leaders design dynamic solutions that better
serve our diverse communities and ensure sustainable, long-term equity in education.
 References
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Journal of Educational Research, 53, 171-181.

Bartoletti, J. (January 2019). Teacher shortages: An unsustainable reality. Principal Leadership, 20. Retrieved from
https://www.nassp.org/2019/01/01/letter-from-the-executive-director-january-2019/

Boschma, J., & Brownstein, R. (2016, February 29). Students of Color Are Much More Likely to Attend Schools Where Most of Their Peers Are Poor.
Retrieved February 12, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/02/concentration-poverty-american-schools/471414/

Cataldi, E., Bennett, C., & Chen, X. (2018, February). First Generation Students: College Access, Persistence, and Postbachelor's Outcomes. Retrieved
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EdBuild (2019). 23 Billion. Retrieved from https://edbuild.org/content/23-billion

FairTest. (2019). Graduation Test Update: States That Recently Eliminated or Scaled Back High School Exit Exams (Updated MAY 2019).
https://www.fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated.

García, E. & Weiss, E. (2019b). The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worse than we thought. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

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shortage. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute
 References
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https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721717708292

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