Report: teacher recruitment and retention crisis continues

Arizona’s teacher recruitment and retention crisis stretched into a seventh year, according to the most recent survey data from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association.  

The report found more than 25% of teaching positions remain vacant and 44% of vacancies are filled by teachers who do not meet the state’s standard certification requirements.  

Educators are continuing the same calls for higher pay as Arizona’s starting teacher salary falls behind the national average.  

But in the wider discussion on how to address teacher retention and recruitment long-term, teachers and public education advocates want to see higher salaries coupled with further support and professional development, especially for those just entering the classroom.   

A total of 194 school districts and charter schools participated in the ASPAA survey.  

They found 2,890 teacher vacancies remain as of January 2023. The report also found 1,873 teachers have either resigned, abandoned their job or did not report to work since the start of the school year.   

Alexis Wilson, president of ASPAA, said the most recent numbers do not come as a surprise.  

“Every year we are seeing the same or worse data when it comes to teacher vacancies in the state of Arizona,” Wilson said. 

She said addressing inadequate teacher pay stands as the first in a long line of tactics the state could use to stave off classroom vacancies.  

The average starting pay for educators in Arizona hovers at about $40,500, according to a report by the National Education Association. Though Arizona does not fall at the bottom of the heap, it still trails the $41,770 national average. 

Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, introduced a bill to bump teacher salaries by $10,000 by 2025. In bringing the bill up in committee, Gress cited Arizona’s teacher vacancies and high turnover rates as reasons to prioritize teacher salaries.  

The bill passed through the House Appropriations Committee this week, but it was met by resistance from Democrats, who took issue with the fickle nature of the funding as it currently stands as a one-time allotment with an ongoing funding promise not set in stone.  

The imperative to permanently increase teacher pay remains at the forefront in recruitment and retention.  

But Wilson, and other education advocates, say bringing in further support, like professional development and mentor programs, could also work to improve retention rates, especially for new teachers.   

Teachers without a standard certification or an education degree make up 44% of filled vacancies in schools, according to ASPAA.   

Former Gov. Doug Ducey signed bills into law that allow college students finishing up their bachelor’s degree in education, as well as subject experts to teach at public district and charter schools without standard certification. 

Wilson said continued support for new teachers remains essential, especially with the reality that not all educators go through a standard education degree program.  

“You’ve got to continue to support them in those first few years of instruction so that they continue to hone their craft and become a really skilled practitioner in the classroom,” Wilson said. “There’s knowledge, there are skills, there are strategies. It is a fine art.”   

Arizona Teacher Residency Program, a program modeled after medical residencies, is working to imagine an ideal environment for new educators.  

The program started in 2021, and it allows applicants to pursue a tuition-free master’s degree in education through Northern Arizona University. Educators participate in a summer institute, then spend a year shadowing a teacher and then spend a second year running their own class. 

The participants then commit to at least three years working at the school.  

Victoria Theisen-Homer, founding director of the program, said a framework for support and extensive preparation is critical to keeping teachers. 

“We have been trying to fill a leaky bucket very quickly, with teachers in the classrooms as soon as possible,” Theisen-Homer said. “But it’s putting people in the classroom without preparation.”  

The Learning Policy Institute found teachers with little to no pedagogical preparation are two to three times more likely to leave the profession than those with comprehensive preparation.  

The residency program is seeking to provide a framework that keeps teachers in the classroom long-term. It’s only in its first year, but participants say the support provided is invaluable.  

Allison Dewey, a teacher-in-residence for a first-grade class at Encanto Elementary School, is in the program’s first class of students.  

“If you ask questions, you feel like they’re not swatting you away,” Dewey said of her mentors and fellow teachers. “If you feel like you’re not alone, then you will stick around longer.”  

Dewey said in her first year in the classroom, she’s seen the impact and importance of her work firsthand.  

One student of hers had trouble singing the alphabet at the beginning of the year. He would cover his ears when the class broke out into song.  

But Dewey said, through her work and the work of her mentor, he now sings and dances along with the class.  

“Those moments when it like lights up their eyes or you see them say ‘OK, I get it,’ or ‘OK I want to try’ and they don’t give up, those are the moments that keep me in it,” Dewey said.