An Introduction to the Mess

Part I: We End at the Beginning

In the premiere episode of the Teacher Shortage Crisis Podcast, hosts Amanda Werner, Jessica Martin, and Trina English introduce themselves and discuss the urgent teacher shortage crisis in the United States. They recount their diverse teaching experiences across various schools, highlighting the systemic issues that have worsened post-COVID. The hosts express their emotional and spiritual struggles as educators and emphasize the need to amplify teachers' voices in the conversation. They call for listeners to join the movement to save K-12 education by signing a petition.

Part II: How Big Is the Mess?

In this episode, host, Trina English,  dives into the complexities of the teacher shortage crisis in the United States. Using AI and a scholarly article by Drs. Tuan Nguyen, Chan Lam, and Paul Bruno as reference points, the discussion touches on teacher job satisfaction, the dangers of accepting simplistic answers, and the lack of comprehensive data on teacher vacancies. The speaker also highlights the uneven distribution of teacher shortages across subject areas and socioeconomic demographics, criticizing current recruitment practices and suggesting the establishment of a national professional teacher workforce. The episode concludes with reflections on how systemic issues in K-12 education impact both teachers and students.

Part III: The Man Who Studied the Size of the Mess

In this podcast episode, Trina introduces an episode recorded with Amanda and Dr. Paul Bruno, co-author of a critical article on the teacher shortage crisis. She discusses the major findings of Dr. Bruno's article, emphasizing the chaos in data reporting and the challenges it brings to understanding the true scope of the teacher shortage. 

Dr. Paul Bruno provides nuanced insights into how teacher vacancies and lack of veteran teachers particularly impact student learning. The podcast delves into the methodology Dr. Bruno used in his research, the challenges in collecting reliable data, and how local control in the education system complicates efforts to quantify and solve the shortage problem. Dr. Bruno suggests targeted solutions and improved data collection to address the issues effectively.

In the interview, Trina and Dr. Bruno exchange thoughts on the necessity and efficacy of teacher preparation programs, the impact of local control on K-12 educational governance, and potential solutions like differential pay for hard-to-staff positions and promoting teacher leadership. They conclude with a call to recognize and address the highly localized nature of teacher shortages and their profound impact on disadvantaged students.