• Home
  • Login
  • Register
  • Digital Edition
  • About Us
  • Staff
South Florida Times
  • News
    • Around South Florida
    • Black News
    • Local News
    • National & World
    • Caribbean News
    • Opinion
    • Prayerful Living
    • Gladys Knight, Vera Wang among recipients of 2021 National Medal of Arts and 2021 National Humanities Medals

      Robert Beatty, March 22, 2023
    • 40 Under 40 recognizes R. Williams

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Judge Allen FAMU Law keynoter

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
  • Business
    • Insurance
    • Credit
    • Loans
    • Trading
    • Mortgage
    • Donate
    • Biden tells US to have confidence in banks after 2 collapse

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Fearless Foundation and Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator award $1 million dollars for their Black women entrepreneurs grant program

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Black bankers statement on Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
  • Opinion
    • Initial Francis fervor has faded

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Tulsa race massacre survivor: ‘Don’t Let Them Bury My Story’

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Felton Spencer, ex-Louisville star and NBA veteran, at 55

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
  • Politics
    • State
    • Local
    • National
    • International
    • Elections
    • POTUS takes executive action strengthening background checks, building on his record of strong action on gun safety

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Vice President Harris to visit Africa in latest US outreach

      Associated Press, March 16, 2023
    • Here’s Biden’s budget explained

      Associated Press, March 16, 2023
  • Technology
    • Software Review
    • Hosting
    • Gas/Electricity
    • Small Business
    • VOIP Solutions
    • Justice Dept. sues Google over unfair digital advertising dominance

      S. Florida Times, January 26, 2023
    • Black men pitch tech at 4th annual competition

      Staff Report, November 17, 2022
    • Blacks In Technology hosting BITCON

      S. Florida Times, October 3, 2022
  • Education
    • Classes
    • College
    • Degree
    • FIU
    • HBCU
    • High school
    • Online classes
    • Miami-dade
    • Gov. DeSantis’ New College of Florida takeover meets students’ opposition

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Culture wars – a national pandemic

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Hard Knocks Foundation promotes youth athlete’s character, national exposure

      S. Florida Times, February 16, 2023
  • SoFLO Live
    • Chef Ire
    • Calendar
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Books
    • Music
    • Movies
    • SoFlo Live

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • The Oscars view from above: The slap, the snafu, and Spike

      Associated Press, March 16, 2023
    • Musical oasis

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
  • Health
    • Kids Nutrition
    • Health Jobs
    • Insurance
    • Weight Loss
    • Pet Health
    • The most dangerous times to drive on Florida highways

      S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
    • Millions who rely on Medicaid may be booted from program

      Associated Press, March 2, 2023
    • U.S. legislation tackles e-cigarette use epidemic among teenagers

      S. Florida Times, March 2, 2023
  • Special Sections
    • Hurricane Guide
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Back To School
    • Black History
    • Business & Finance
    • Martin Luther King Jr.
    • Mother’s Day
    • Season of the Arts
    • Sister Thea Bowman still on the road to sainthood

      S. Florida Times, March 9, 2023
    • Orange Bowl Committee has 1st Black woman chair

      S. Florida Times, March 9, 2023
    • New stamp honors Morrison

      Associated Press, March 9, 2023
  • Obituaries
    • Another giant of jazz lost: Wayne Shorter, saxophone pioneer, passes at 89

      S. Florida Times, March 9, 2023
    • 1st Arab American senator, James Abourezk, dies at 92

      Associated Press, March 2, 2023
    • Gérard Latortue, Haiti former interim premier, dies at 88

      S. Florida Times, March 2, 2023

Gladys Knight, Vera Wang among recipients of 2021 National Medal of Arts and 2021 National Humanities Medals

Robert Beatty, March 22, 2023

Initial Francis fervor has faded

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

Tulsa race massacre survivor: ‘Don’t Let Them Bury My Story’

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

SoFlo Live

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

The Oscars view from above: The slap, the snafu, and Spike

Associated Press, March 16, 2023

40 Under 40 recognizes R. Williams

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

Judge Allen FAMU Law keynoter

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

Housing relief pushed in Legislative Session

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
Education

Schools nationwide struggle with substitute teacher shortage


SHARE ON:
Associated Press— March 20, 2015
By TOM COYNE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Carrie Swing wasn’t alarmed when her fifth-grade daughter, Ivy, spent a day in a first-grade classroom at her San Francisco school, filling out worksheets and helping younger students read because no substitute could be found for her absent teacher.

But when it happened the next four days too, Swing became so concerned that she considered quitting her public relations job to homeschool her daughter.

“The situation was really awful,” Swing said. “The kids had a sense of, ‘Nobody’s in charge here,’ and I think that was really hard on them.”

Although Ivy’s school represents an extreme example, districts throughout the country have reported struggles finding substitute teachers. School officials say the shortage worsened as the unemployment rate improved, and job seekers who might have settled for a part-time job such as substitute teaching are now insisting on full-time positions with better pay and benefits.

Geoffrey Smith founded the Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah State, which in 2008 spun off into an online training program for substitutes. He said he’s unaware of any national statistics about unfilled substitute teaching posts, although an unscientific survey conducted by his organization last year found 48 percent of districts responding reported severe or somewhat severe shortage of substitute teachers.

In Washington state, a preliminary survey late last year by the Office of the State Actuary found 84 of 94 school districts that responded had trouble finding substitutes.

In West Virginia, lawmakers voted in 2013 to require central office administrators to fill in for absent teachers three days a year because of a shortage.

Gary Zgunda, director for human resources and student services at Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Fishers, Indiana, 15 miles northeast of Indianapolis, said the school district this year is able to fill about 93 percent of its openings, down from 97 percent last year.

A frequent source of substitutes has been education majors looking for experience. But officials say fewer college students are choosing teaching as a career path, in part because of recent layoffs and concerns about new education standards, including efforts in some states to link teacher evaluations with student test scores.

“There have been so many stories about the quality of public education that many of us have conjectured that really impacted both students and their parents to say, ‘Why would I go into education and face all of that?'” said Jill Shedd, assistant dean for teacher education at Indiana University.

Because of the shortage, many schools find alternatives. In middle schools and high schools, teachers often are paid extra to forego preparation time to fill in for absent teachers.

But Smith said increased pay alone usually doesn’t attract more qualified substitutes. They also want better training.

“Standing in front of a classroom without any training is kind of scary to them,” Smith said. “So it’s raising the pay with training that tends to help alleviate the shortage.”

Those willing to substitute can be selective. Jodi Smith, who lives in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, has a master’s degree in international affairs and knows she could earn more money elsewhere. But she works as a substitute teacher about three to four days a week, mostly to keep the same schedule as her children, who are in fifth and eighth grades.

“I get to drive them to and from school,” she said. “I get to know the teachers in the building and the kids and then I have a little bit more information on what’s going on.”

The alternatives to substitutes all have drawbacks, officials say. Dividing classes into other rooms make it more difficult for teachers to be effective, and not all classes learn at the same pace. Using other school staff also causes problems, detracting from administrative duties.

In northern Indiana, some school districts have raised substitute teacher pay to try to help ease the problem. Elkhart Community Schools, which for years has paid the district’s retired teachers $100 a day to substitute, began offering the same rate retired teachers from elsewhere.

Tressa Decker, principal of Horizon Elementary School in Granger, Indiana, said the substitute shortage at her school was so severe that she even recruited her mother, a retired high school English teacher, to teach first grade.

“The 5-year-olds told her what to do, and she did great,” Decker said.

 

Next post Streaming TV services: What you get, what it costs

Previous post EU commits $2.15 billion to help Greek poor deal with crisis

Associated Press

About the Author Associated Press

Related Posts

Gov. DeSantis’ New College of Florida takeover meets students’ opposition

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

Culture wars – a national pandemic

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023

Hard Knocks Foundation promotes youth athlete’s character, national exposure

S. Florida Times, February 16, 2023

No Comment

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

"Elevating the dialogue"Headline News

South Florida Times

Gladys Knight, Vera Wang among recipients of 2021 National Medal of Arts and 2021 National Humanities Medals

Robert Beatty, March 22, 2023
Black NewsLocal NewsNational & WorldNewsUncategorized

40 Under 40 recognizes R. Williams

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
Local NewsNews

Judge Allen FAMU Law keynoter

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
News

Housing relief pushed in Legislative Session

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
Local NewsNews

Musical oasis

S. Florida Times, March 16, 2023
Local NewsSoFLO Live

South Florida Times

The most influential African American weekly newspaper in South Florida

Beatty Media LLC

Follow Us

South Florida Times

3,049
followers
4,900
followers

Videos

South Florida Times

Home values for Black Families

Staff Report, March 23, 2022
Local NewsNewsVideos
Copyright 2020 Beatty Media, LLC.
↑ Back to top