Education 'Tsunami' Looms: Over Half Of Nation's Teachers Could Retire In Next Decade

[babylonsister]

A 'tsunami' of Boomer teacher retirements is on the horizon

By Jeanette Der Bedrosian, USA TODAY


More than half the nation's teachers are Baby Boomers ages 50 and older and eligible for retirement over the next decade, a report says today. It warns that a retirement "tsunami" could rob schools of valuable experience.

The report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future calls for school administrators to take immediate action to lower attrition rates and establish programs that pass along valuable information from teaching veterans to new teachers.

"We face a tsunami in the shift of the future of the teachers' workforce," says Tom Carroll, president of the commission, who co-wrote the report. "Over the next five or six years, we could lose over a third of our teachers."

Co-author and director of strategic initiatives Elizabeth Foster agrees: "Whether this big retirement tsunami hits in the next two or three years, or whether the economy keeps them around for a little bit longer, it's coming."

Exacerbating the problem are low retention rates for young teachers: A sufficient number of teachers are recruited at colleges and universities, but many leave the field within five years, Carroll says. "We're trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom, and we have been for decades," he says.

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-04-06-teachers-retiring_N.htm?csp=34

[Dinger]

1. Well The Corporate, Privatized, Union-Busting, Narrow-Focused, Teacher-Blaming

approach advocated by arne duncan isn't going to do much to attract a tsunami of people wanting to become teachers.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Perfect opportunity to enact my plan.

[Ishoutandscream2]

4. LOL! Please share

[BlooInBloo]

6. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5235557#5235578

[Ishoutandscream2]

8. BIB, that is absolutely perfect

You need to run for school board here in my neck of the woods.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. And they keep coming up with ideas that just make us want to leave the profession

They treat us like shit, don't value our opinions when developing programs and don't pay us what we're worth.

And they wonder why we retire instead of sticking around :crazy:

[YvonneCa]

9. Or, in my district, force retirement in order to...

...save money. It makes no sense to me at all.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. The idiots I work for aren't even smart enough to do that

If they would dangle some money in my face, I would retire. :)

[YvonneCa]

14. The 'golden handshake' at least respects a teacher's..

...career. My district resorted to harassment by administrators of teachers from a pre-determined list drawn up by the superintendent.

I can vouch for the harassment part...the union leadership told me about the list.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Oh I don't doubt it

Administrators and harassment seem to go together.

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. Why would a job most anyone can do --

-- and I've been told that here, and is handsomely compensated -- and I've been told that here -- and just about impossible to lose -- and I've been told that here, too -- go begging?

It doesn't add up.

[YvonneCa]

10. Wrong...

...on all three counts.

[JCMach1]

7. Total BS... they said the same thing about professors when I decided to go to grad school

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. It's happening where I teach

The baby boomers are definitely retiring.

[Hannah Bell]

13. and the fallout...an ever-increasing percent of classes taught by adjuncts & TAs.

Yes, it's bull. They don't want to pay, they don't want to hire; "shortage" used to justify special categories of hires which then become the norm.

[Yukari Yakumo]

16. And...

Exacerbating the problem are half-wit administrators (and a few politicians) who fuck with the curricula and fall for the latest ineffective teaching fad.

Teachers (mostly) aren't the problem, it's everyone else that at least one rung above them that is.