Education has gone through a lot of changes even in the last five years. Since 2000, standards and accountability have been in the spotlight while the arts have taken a backseat. The pandemic shifted teachers online and back again, resulting in shifts in how we use technology and changes in chronic attendance. All these changes have not gone unnoticed.
Is education getting better or worse?
When we asked teachers on our Facebook Helpline group if education has gotten better, worse, or stayed the same in the last five years, the response was clear: worse. Much worse. Hereâs some of what they said:
âWhen I started teaching 7th grade 13 years ago, I could give much more rigorous tasks, kid would read directions, write their full names on things, etc. Today, I feel like I am teaching a much lower grade level.â -Beth
âItâs better because there have been adjustments to the courses being offered, like STEM and Career and Technology; stagnant because we still have archaic systems in place like âtraditionalâ grades and grade levels. [And] itâs worse because rules with a lack of appropriate consequences set students up for failure in reality. Also itâs worse because society is attacking the system put in place to improve it.â -Senzwa
âI feel that âeducationâ has improved. However, whatâs holding things back are things beyond an educatorâs control. Being called groomers/indoctrinators by society. Parents screaming for book bans on stuff they clearly havenât read. No discipline at home. Devices. State testing.â -Maria
âNo one is managing kidsâ behaviors at home so the behaviors are out of control at school, where there are no consequences. Theyâre completely addicted to their phones and constantly distracted.â -Deanna
âAttendance is worse. I had 200 total absences during a two week period of time this year.â -Lisa
We are not the only onesâŠ
Our community gives voice to what teachers are feeling on a larger scale. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found:
- 82% of teachers said that âthe state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years.â
- Only 5% said it had gotten better.
- 53% of teachers surveyed by Pew said they expected education to be worse in five years. 20% of teachers said they thought it would be better.
The things that Pew teachers said had made education worse in the last five years:
- The political climate (60%),
- Effects from the COVID pandemic (57%), and
- Funding and resources (46%)
We know education can get better and itâs not all on teachers. So, here are the things that make teachers pessimistic about education and what we can do to change them.
1. Fully fund education
Letâs start with the most obvious one. After all, when we spend more on education, teachers and students have better outcomes.
Problem: Education is not fully funded
Education systems are not fully funded, and this has a disproportionate impact on students in low-income communities. There is a huge difference in per-pupil spending across states, the difference in per-pupil state spending ranges from $5,700 to $17,000.
Solution: Money
Put money where itâs needed most. Fund school systems to ensure equity, which means that students in low-income areas will get more funding because it costs more to educate them. And, at a minimum, fully fund federal education and special education.
2. Support studentsâ mental healthÂ
According to the Pew Research survey, 58% of teachers said that they have to address behavioral issues daily. 28% said they have to help students with mental health challenges each day.
Problem: Students are experiencing mental health challenges
We know that mental health impacts studentsâ ability to function and learn in school, and student mental health concerns are impacting studentsâ behavior and learning, and teachersâ ability to teach. Â
Solution: Bring therapy into schools
In Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut, after three student suicides, addressing mental health was overdue. After an audit of the mental health programs, the district worked with the Child Development Institute of Connecticut to implement Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). CBITS is a school-based therapy program for students in grades 5-12 who have experienced trauma. The district also provided supports for staff and brought in community and state resources for students.
3. Help students get to school
When kids arenât in school, they canât learn and teachers canât teach. When there is a high level of chronic absenteeism, students who miss 10% or more of a school year, the âchurnâ of students coming through school each day impacts how teachers can teach and what all students learn.
Problem: Chronic absenteeism is at an all-time high
During the pandemic, students got used to not coming to school and since schools re-opened, chronic absenteeism, or students who miss 10% or more of a school year, has been a persistent concern. The good news: itâs not getting worse. But, absenteeism is still high. In 2023, chronic absenteeism was at 26%, compared to 15% in chronic absenteeism before the pandemic. Put another way, almost one in four students was chronically absent in 2023.
Solution: Stop doing what doesnât work
Agua Fria Union High School District in Arizona has already dealt with chronic absenteeism. Prior to 2017-2018, students were suspended for attendance. But, in 2017-2018, the district shifted to thinking about attendance as a problem, rather than a behavior. The goal was to make school a place students wanted to be and helping them get there. This could mean working with community organizations to make sure students have alarm clocks, or starting a walking school bus program to help kids get to school.
4. Make education respected again
The anecdotes of parents ranting at school board meetings and banning books are indicators of an underlying problem. Parents and the public (including legislators) need to respect teachers and their ability to make good decisions for kids in the classroom. Â
Problem: Disrespect for teachers is (hopefully) at its peak
In the Pew Research survey, teachers didnât feel like they got support from parents for everything from student misbehavior to attendance to helping with schoolwork. And, in the Helpline, teachers mentioned book bans and parents accusing teachers of âgroomingâ their children.
Solution: Elevate teachersâ voices
Using surveys or strengthening teacher unions can ensure that teachers are actually heard during small and large conversations about education.
Read more: The most powerful teacherâs unions.
Solution: Come together to support education
Some issues, like book bans or parent rants about pedagogy, are not for individual teachers to fight. In that case, schools can partner with larger advocacy organizations like the ACLU to fight book bans. And, school leaders can draft and enforce district-level policies that support teachersâ autonomy and decision making, like Illinois leaders who banned book bans.
Read more: 6 Ways to Shut down Book Banning Complaints
5. Teacher pay is not enough
This is a topic weâve written about before and itâs just not getting better. Teacher pay needs to reflect the professional qualifications and demands of the job.
Problem: Teacher pay is just not enough
In 2022-2023, teachers made $3,644 less than they did ten years before. We canât pay teachers less and expect more.
Solution: Raise teacher salaries
Itâs time to increase teacher pay to bring it on par with other jobs that require a masterâs degree and a high level of skill. It can be done, in 2022, New Mexico increased teacher salaries by an average of 17%. There are lots of benefits to increasing teacher pay, like keeping good teachers in the classroom and staffing hard-to-staff schools. Fortunately, there are districts that are focused in increasing teacher salaries.
Check out our Teacher Salary Stories series to get a feel for how far current teacher salaries actually go.
6. Ban or limit cell phone use
In the Pew Research survey, 33% of teachers indicated that students and cell phones was a major problem in their classroom. This was a significant problem for high school teachers, where 72% of teachers indicated that cell phones were a big problem.
Problem: Cell phones are a constant distraction
A study by Common Sense Media found that 97% of 11 to 17-year-olds are using phones during the school day. Almost a third (32%) are using them for social media, 17% were using them for gaming and 26% are on YouTube. Teachers are noticing that cell phones are wrecking havoc on studentsâ attention and focus.
Solution: Cell phone bans
Teachers can tackle cell phones with charging stations and other classroom policies, but thatâs not enough. Support teachers at the district or state level with cell phone bans that could reduce the risk of cyberbullying and improve grades for some students. Â Â
7. Make schools healthy again
You donât have to tell teachers that school buildings are insufficient learning environments. Many are even falling apart and this impacts low-income students the most.
Problem: Many schools are unhealthy learning places
Weâve been writing about it for years and unhealthy school buildings are still a concern. A Government Accountability Office 2020 report found 54% of the countryâs school districts need to repair, update or replace school building systems (like HVAC, heating, or ventilation). And, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave schools a D+ for infrastructure based on the level of maintenance needed. At a minimum, school buildings should be places where kids want to learn and teachers want to teach and should not make anyone sick.
Solution: Invest in school buildings
This is a solution that requires state and local government intervention. In Orange County, Florida, in 2021, more than half of the 202 schools had been renovated. Orange County school officials created and implemented a long-term plan for facilities improvement, and took the opportunity to upgrade and improve conditions for teaching and learning, in addition to making basic renovations. For example, replacing HVAC systems with quieter, more efficient ones so the acoustics in schools are improved as well as the heating and cooling.
8. Reignite a love of learning
Teachers just want to teach, and see students have that spark when they finally get it or learn something new. Teachers in the Helpline felt like with the constant focus on new initiativesâCommon Core, accountability, state testingâthey couldnât just teach. Itâs time to get back to basics.
Problem: Standards and data have taken over the love of learning
From a reduction in arts education to an increase in class sizes, teaching is changing and some changes need to be reversed. As Terri wrote in the Helpline, âcontent is vast, however many teachers do not teach foundational skills. The obsession with data and testing has also negatively impacted teaching. Students have lost the intrinsic love of learning.â
Solution: Let teachers teach
Letting teachers teach means providing smaller class sizes and the freedom to make decisions about how much recess time kids need, how to incorporate art, or how much time kindergarteners should spend playing. Teachers know whatâs good for kids and their growth, and helping kids find joy in learning is what teachers love to do!
