By Haley Blum
Originally posted by the Monticello Herald Journal, June 26, 2019
Speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and even school psychologists are scarce, and they tend to go to clinics and hospitals, which pay more.
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By Haley Blum
Originally posted by CBS News, April 11, 2019
Only three out of five schools across the country have full-time school nurses often forcing school administrators, with no medical training, to step in and provide some level of care. Over the past several years, multiple children have died after facing medical emergencies in their schools when no nurse was on duty.
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By Haley Blum
Robbie Feinberg
Originally posted by Marketplace.org, February 13, 2019
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of diseases like diabetes and epilepsy have surged in children over the past few decades. Mental health needs have increased. Despite this, a 2018 study in the Journal of School Nursing found that fewer than 40 percent of schools employ full-time school nurses.
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By Haley Blum
Kyle Epps
Originally posted by Leader Live, February 13, 2019
A new Los Angeles Unified School District contract includes improvements such as workspace for itinerant employees, a caseload/workload taskforce, revised language on caseload limits, and a commitment from the union and the school district to work together to increase funding for special education services and staff.
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By Haley Blum
Christina A. Samuels and Alex Harwin
Originally posted by Education Week, December 5, 2018
The number of special education teachers nationally has dropped by more than 17 percent over the past decade, a worrisome trend in a career path that has seen chronic shortages for years.
By Haley Blum
Jason Nevel
Originally posted by The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois), November 12, 2017
A “perfect storm” of factors—including tough licensing requirements, fears about state funding, low starting salaries, and negative perception of education—has affected the amount of vacancies in Illinois public schools. There are currently 2,013 unfilled positions in the state, including teachers, administrative staff, and school support staff, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
By Haley Blum
Linda Jacobson
Originally posted by EducationDIVE, October 19, 2017
“In the first year of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s STEP UP and Teach program, 150 paraprofessionals enrolled in the program, which provides up to $4,800 in tuition reimbursement, professional development and guidance from a mentor as the candidates take on more teaching responsibilities in classrooms and work toward their degree. … Many [of the] paraprofessionals come from the communities where they work, which in diverse school districts can help to increase the numbers of educators who share the same race, ethnicity and home language as the students they serve.”
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By Haley Blum
Desiree Carver-Thomas
Originally posted by the Learning Policy Institute, May 16, 2017
Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia experienced shortages of special education teachers in the 2016–17 school year. As a result, school districts have filled those vacancies with underprepared teachers. Strategic investments in evidence-based programs can alleviate this perennial shortage.
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By Will Fisher
This report [PDF] provides a snapshot of the extent to which U.S. public school students are taught by certified and experienced teachers, including data for the subgroups of students with disabilities and English language learners. The report uses two datasets available to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
By Haley Blum
Originally posted by Teachers of Tomorrow, December 14, 2016
Experts shed some light on how to solve the United States’ teacher shortage.
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