A new report suggests making teaching a more attractive and competitive career choice to combat a difference in outcomes between high and low poverty districts.
The report from The Education Trust-Midwest shows districts with more resources are able to attract and retain teachers, while students in high-poverty districts are more likely to learn from a beginning teacher with fewer than three years of teaching experience.
"It's troubling that we see the highest percentages of these teachers who are not as highly qualified, who are not as experienced, and who are being asked to teach outside of their content expertise in these districts that are serving students coming from high concentrations of poverty, because we also know that when you're learning in a district with high concentrations of poverty, that comes with additional challenges," said Jen DeNeal, the education trust's director of policy and research.
The findings show that across Michigan’s classrooms, Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds have "far less access to credentialed, highly qualified teachers." Also, these students have teachers that move more often and have less experience than their white peers.
The findings highlighted:
- Inexperienced teachers
- Out-of-field teaching (This happens "when a teacher is assigned to teach a grade or subject they are not certified to teach," the report said.)
- Teacher turnover ("High turnover rates can inhibit student educational progress by increasing the likelihood that their teacher is inexperienced or unqualified," the report said.)
- Teaching vacancies (The report noted that "teacher vacancy rates are often higher in urban or rural districts, schools serving higher proportions of students of color or students from low-income backgrounds, and districts with lower salaries or relatively poorer working conditions.")
These differences contribute to the achievement gaps between Michigan public school students, the researchers said.
They suggest prioritizing making teaching an attractive and competitive career choice, and better funding and greater access to high-quality professional development for educators.
