Limited resources, unhappy employees, and disrupted learning – these are the repercussions of the ongoing substitute teaching shortage, a challenge that has been on the education sector's radar for quite some time. In October 2023, CBS featured a headline story about just this, bringing public attention to the gravity of the situation.
As if the substitute shortage wasn't enough, the increase in teacher absences during the 2021–22 school year has further complicated matters. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 72 percent of U.S. public schools reported a surge in teacher absences compared to pre-pandemic levels. Last year alone, 49 percent of public schools noted an uptick in teacher absences from the previous year. [source]
The downstream implications of classrooms without teachers ripple throughout the district. Schools resort to creative coverage solutions, with administrators (73 percent), non-teaching staff (71 percent), and other teachers (67 percent) stepping in. Shockingly, 51 percent of public schools even combined separate classes into one room due to the unavailability of substitutes. [source]
The impact on students is equally evident. Teacher absences correlate with lower math achievement, increased student absences, and suspension rates. [source]
What these data points underscore is the urgent need to support teachers in taking the time off they require, without compromising on classroom effectiveness. While long-term structural solutions are being explored throughout the country (improvements in salaries and benefits, collaborations with colleges for teacher pipelines etc.), here are four practical steps your district can take right away:
It may seem counterintuitive but one way to improve teacher absences is to support their taking time off. It matters to teachers that they get the time off they need to refresh, handle family concerns, illness etc., and that they receive the professional development that they desire. Cultivate a culture that encourages and respects their need for professional development, and personal time. Schedule professional development strategically by analyzing absence trends to avoid peak periods. Eliminate the burden on teachers to find their own coverage.
Keep your staff, educators, and community informed about the staffing challenges. Transparently share short-term and long-term plans. Involving the board and the wider community, including parents, not only reduces the time spent by educators and staff addressing concerns but can lead to collective insights and faster approvals for solutions that require investments.
Foster a positive environment for substitute teachers. Ensure leaders, staff, and fellow teachers warmly greet substitutes, providing essential information to start their day. Establish a teacher buddy system where a designated teacher supports substitutes, making them feel valued and integrated into the school community. These are highly impactful, no cost solutions that matters to substitutes.
Deploying absence management software can significantly alleviate teacher absence challenges. These tools facilitate seamless request processing, sending a positive message to teachers about taking time off, and provides absence trend data for informed budget decisions. The approved time off requests get electronically routed to a customized substitute pool or can be released to a broader substitute pool or a supplemental staffing solution of choice. Substitutes are notified through an app of openings and can accept or decline, reducing all the churn of back-and-forth communication. And teachers and substitutes can share files, classroom management plans, lesson plans and daily procedures that are critical to the success of the substitute. This in turn improves the experience of the substitute making them more likely to accept future assignments, incrementally improving the problem overall. This type of solution can be deployed in a matter of weeks.
While the statistics on education challenges may seem overwhelming, taking proactive steps can improve the situation, one school and one district at a time. Our team at Slate, with a background in education, is dedicated to reimagining absence management and substitute staffing. Slate is easy to understand, quick to deploy, and simple to use. Experience the difference – visit SimplySlate.com.
Let's work together to enhance the well-being of our staff, educators, communities, and ultimately, our students. Because we owe it to them to do what we can, when we can.