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James Loy:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast by the hosts and guests may or may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University. This is reframe the podcast from the college of education, health, and society on the campus of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, in Oxford, Ohio.

James Loy:

It's been called a crisis. And for many school districts around the nation, a critical shortage of teachers is continuing to impact entire communities. Public schools have historically struggled to find certain kinds of teachers like special education teachers, even math and science teachers. But today the problem goes beyond anything we've faced in the past. And many schools are now struggling to find elementary school teachers. And this is the kind of problem that can affect everyone, because a lack of good K through 12 teachers, not only affects the cognitive growth and academic futures of individual students, it can also threaten economic and business development for decades, which is the kind of problem that can put entire societies at risk. And if something doesn't change soon, it's only going to get worse. Today on the podcast, we'll hear more about this issue from Jason Lane. He's the Dean of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's college of education, health, and society.

Jason Lane:

One of the biggest crisis facing this country right now is a teacher shortage. We know that there are more and more teachers who are leaving the field for a variety of reasons. A lot of it has to do with COVID and a lot it has to do with the politics around education, but folks are getting burnt out. At the same time, we're seeing fewer folks come into education. And so this is setting up for a real crisis in the country in the fact that we're not going to be producing enough teachers to be able to replace those who are leaving the field.

James Loy:

We'll hear more from Dean Lane. And we'll hear about this issue from a public school perspective, as well as from a few of the high school students for among the first cohort of aspiring young educators, to be a part of a new initiative called Teach Cincinnati, which aims to address the teacher shortage while also increasing diversity among educators at the same time.

James Loy:

Even before COVID, according to the Learning Policy Institute, there was a 35% reduction of students enrolling in teacher education programs between 2009 and 2014. So over the last decade, fewer people have aspired to become teachers. However, the shortage problem often shines a light on this recruitment issue. But there's another side of the story. 90% of all open teaching positions are actually created by teachers who left the profession. In fact, today about 300,000 teachers leave the profession every single year, and many of them long before retirement. So solving this teacher's shortage is not just about finding new teachers. It's also about keeping the teachers we already have. So one solution may lie in providing more opportunities, mentorship, and support to current teachers, but also providing these same opportunities to students who may one day want to become teachers. Another solution is to start engaging these same young students early before college in high school.

James Loy:

And sometimes even in middle school and here at Ohio, that is exactly what teach Cincinnati is designed to do. Dean Lane, thank you so much for being on the podcast to talk about the issue of the teacher's shortage and its impacts. Can you talk a bit more about this issue and also about how teach Cincinnati plans to help and why a program like this is so important?

Jason Lane:

Yeah. Let me start with the why first. At the end of the day, if we don't have great teachers, we won't have great schools. And if we don't have great schools, we won't have great communities. And so part of our commitment to particularly Southwest Ohio is to work in partnership with our local school districts to ensure that we can reverse that shortage and identify new ways to bring new folks into teacher education and ultimately into the teaching profession.

Jason Lane:

Our goal is we want to recruit, retain and retire teachers in the field. Part of that also is ensuring that we're reaching more diverse populations. We're not going to address the shortage by the traditional populations that have come into teacher education. And so we need to think more critically also about how to engage more diverse populations, particularly teachers who come from Black and Brown communities, which is increasingly what our student profile looks like in Ohio as well. So why are we doing this particular initiative? What we really think is if we're going to address the teacher shortage, we have to lean into what we call, grow your own programs. This is a program for us that is based upon more than a decade of work already in Cincinnati, where we are working hand-in-hand with teachers and principals in Cincinnati public schools and other institutions in Cincinnati, to encourage students starting in junior high, to think about teaching as a career path, we then mentor them during high school.

Jason Lane:

We provide them with college credit plus courses so that they are transferring in, already having completed some of the college credits. We then provide them an experience at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú wrap around mentoring opportunities to ensure that they are successful, because many of these students are first generation and haven't had experience in college. So we want them to come to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. We want them to be successful. We want them to graduate. We also want them to have experience back in Cincinnati. So we've worked with CPS to ensure the students can do their field placements in Cincinnati. And part of that will be experiences with our urban cohort. So they'll have the opportunity to live in residency and over the right neighborhood and work in CPS. And then CPS will prioritize them for hiring at the end of this program.

Jason Lane:

And so we've got to start very early on in students' lives to ensure that they are interested in teaching and show them why teaching is a powerful profession and then continue to mentor them and grow them throughout essentially eight years. Through high school, through college, to get them out, to be a teacher.

James Loy:

And beyond just the nuts and bolts of the program. Can you talk about how dire these problems actually are? Both the teachers' shortage, and also the lack of teachers of color as well. Maybe even more of a problem than many people may realize.

Jason Lane:

Right now. Let me go back to January. In January, we saw a number of schools across the region shut down overnight. Wasn't because of snow day, it wasn't because of any other sort of scheduled intermission. It was simply, they didn't have enough staff. There weren't enough teachers, permanent or substitute, to come to school to be able to hold school open. So Friday morning, all these parents get texts saying, "Schools closed today." Well, it's because we don't have enough staff. Now part of that was COVID, but it also showed us how close we are on the razors edge to not having enough staff in our schools to be able to remain open down the road. So the impact of this is twofold. One is just not having high quality teachers in our classrooms will have a negative effect on learning of students. We know that's a fact.

Jason Lane:

When you have stability of teacher and a high quality teacher in a classroom, you're going to have better learning outcomes for the students in that classroom. If you have teachers who aren't highly qualified or are rotating through in a way where you have six or seven substitute teachers coming in a single day, not much learning takes place. On the other hand, what we also know is that from research, students from diverse backgrounds tend to do better when in their educational experience, they also have teachers who look like them. And so part of what we need to be thinking about is not just how do we increase the number of folks coming into teacher education and becoming teachers, but also how do we diversify that pipeline to ensure that our teaching core is reflective of the growing diverse demographic in Ohio?

James Loy:

One of the most powerful aspects of the teach Cincinnati initiative, is that it relies on a strong partnership between ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and Cincinnati public schools, which is a partnership that has been grounded in local community neighborhoods for over a decade. And here are just two of the dedicated professionals from Cincinnati public schools who are currently involved.

Je’Von Calhoun:

So my name is Je'Von Calhoun. I am a college specialist with Cincinnati public schools.

Marsha Mcdonald-Wheeler:

I'm Marsha Mcdonald-Wheeler. I am the 9th and 10th grade school counselor at Aiken high school.

James Loy:

Teach Cincinnati was first piloted at Aiken high school where culturally relevant teaching and learning was emphasized through various lessons and projects that centered on black history and black culture, because reflecting increasingly diverse student demographics is another fundamental component, which is also designed to focus on the particular kinds of social and cultural challenges that many students, especially those in urban districts often face.

Je’Von Calhoun:

So talking about the origins of the program, it all starts with recognizing a problem, or an issue, and then making those moves and saying, "Okay, how can we address this issue?" And so when you look at our district, which is almost 65, I think we're 62% African American. So when you're looking at instructors in the makeup, in those buildings, and you don't quite have that representation, it's going to be hard to have future instructors that look like the students that they're teaching, or have similar backgrounds and can speak to some of that. And so when you have a student that's thinking about careers that they might aspire toward, already you're a little bit behind the eight ball with that. So a program like this, where you're growing your own instructors, it allows you to have instructors that once upon a time walked the same halls in the buildings, in which they're teaching, but as students. And so I think that's like the embedded advantage of having a pipeline like this.

Marsha Mcdonald-Wheeler:

Yes. So throughout the program, the students have matured and learned. So at first they're just like, "Yeah, I want to be a teacher. I think I like this." But as they've got embedded into the teaching curriculum and experiences, just giving a quick shout out to a couple of our ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú professors, Dr. Brian and Dr. Rachel for their mentoring and helping students with their activism, has only made them excited about being in the teaching profession. So they're looking to be teachers that they've had, that have inspired them, and also teachers that maybe some of them, their friends said they've never had. So they want students to not only have the experience in the classroom by looking at grades and classes, but to be able to take what they've learned and be better people out in the community.

James Loy:

And we have the chance to speak to some of these aspiring young future teachers. Many of whom are among the first cohort of this program. Here's Jenia.

Jenia:

So in our class, we're basically prepping to become teachers. We're learning how to teach kids that look like us. All the stuff that they can relate to and we can relate to, we learn how to incorporate that into our teaching.

James Loy:

Here's another student named Edward talking about what culturally relevant teaching means to him.

Edward:

Culturally relevant teaching is teaching in a way that acknowledges your student's culture. It lets them know more about themselves, lets them relate to the world around him and makes everything way easier to comprehend.

James Loy:

Do you feel like it's helped you connect to school more, or learn better, or just enjoy the process more?

Edward:

Yes, it has. Every time I'm in history class, I'm like, "That's not how that happened. You're missing a little of something there." And I get to correct my teacher in front of the whole class, which is hilarious.

James Loy:

So what kind of teacher do you want to be?

Edward:

Oh, I want to be music teacher.

James Loy:

A music teacher?

Edward:

Because music is something that we can all understand. You don't get confused about notes on a page. Everyone can read it, and it's very therapeutic for a lot of people. And that's what makes me, me today. It's the most important part of who I am.

James Loy:

So what are some of the things you're learning about in this class, or the experiences you've had so far in this program about what kind of teacher you might want to be one day, or the kind of relationships that you might want to build with your students in the future?

Edward:

I want to understand my students. I do want to understand where they're coming from. I want to talk to them. I want to be someone that they can depend on, because that's what I wish I had when I was younger. I want to be the person that I wish I had when I was young.

James Loy:

Some of the other students talked about some of the negative experiences they've had with some teachers who weren't able to connect with them very well, or who didn't have a lot of culturally relevant teaching strategies to employ here's Terryana.

Terryana:

Recently I had a teacher and I felt like she wasn't a bad teacher at all, but I felt like the way that she did teach, she was trying to be something that she wasn't. She was trying to relate to us kids, so she would try to act like us and talk like us and, using our slang, stuff like that. And while, like I said, she was a good teacher, it just made me feel uncomfortable because like I knew that's not who she was because sometimes she wouldn't even act like that. So I felt like, I understand her trying to relate, but there's other ways that you could have went about it. And I feel like it made me uncomfortable.

James Loy:

So why do you think we need more black teachers or teachers of color, more diversity in the teaching profession?

Terryana:

Because I feel like it's easier to relate. Coming into a school, you're already scared it's your first day. And then whenever I see somebody of my color, it's easier. I feel like I easier connect to them.

James Loy:

What kind of teacher do you want to be? Or, why does teaching sound like a career that you want to have?

Terryana:

Because whenever I was in elementary, I feel like there were a lot of kids that were named the bad kids and they weren't, they just needed time. And I didn't like that. So I feel like that's something I could change.

James Loy:

Other students talked about some of the more positive experiences they've had with teachers who were able to connect with them and to relate to them. Here's Diego.

Diego:

Personally, I haven't had too many cultural relevant teachers outside of me being in... One teacher in elementary and maybe two in high school. So the way they helped me, one of my favorite teachers was a black teacher. [inaudible 00:14:15] to us. He never lied to us and he taught us the real stuff in life. He also gave us tools to help us inside and outside the classroom.

James Loy:

Do you have any examples of some of the things that he didn't lie to you about or some of the things he was honest and truthful with you about?

Diego:

Just growing up in neighborhoods that we grow up in and just the stuff that we do, where he came from, how he stuck through college and how he stuck through getting to where he's at today to teach us.

James Loy:

So why do you want to be a teacher?

Diego:

Why do I want to be a teaching? Because you got a classroom full of 20 to 30 students. How great will they become in the future is the question and what can you put in them to make them want to become more than maybe a judge or something? What can you do to help the community grow?

Je’Von Calhoun:

I think what certainly isn't lost on me is getting to see the transformation in the students. So they start upon this path. They have these unique experiences, they go home and they tell their parents about, and their parents are like, "You did what?" You know what I mean? And so all that time it's building up this sense in the student that this is a big deal. This is unique. All the while seeing that they're comfortable in that space, because they've got what it takes to be successful at that endeavor.

Je’Von Calhoun:

So it's great when the students see that and they feel that internally and they go out and they do things and then their peers, they see it. So students in the grades below them, they're looking up to some of the students who are going off the campus and doing things, it's like, "Oh, it's not quite my time yet, but next year I'll be doing this", or "I'll be leading this class", or "I'll go off to the elementary school and do the read in," or all these unique experiences. And so it's something that they can look forward to. And so all of it works to kind of bleed into that next grade level and that next grade level, or that next cohort.

Marsha Mcdonald-Wheeler:

Absolutely. And what's even more fulfilling is that when their peers can see like, "You want to be a teacher" like, "That's cool to you?" It really inspires others. So we are definitely trying to get more students of color to see themselves as teachers. So when they see that their peers are going to college for education intentionally, like "This is what I want to do," it definitely inspires others. And they enjoy talking to the students. And we're excited and we want to have those mirrors and windows that kids can see. Like, "I can be a teacher it's not impossible."

James Loy:

Dean Lane, can you talk about what's next for this program? I've also heard you remark that this could be a potential new turning point with the partnership with Cincinnati public schools. Is that true? What would that mean? What would that look like? And could this actually be a program that could be modeled by other school districts with other partnerships across the nation?

Jason Lane:

The turning point here is that we're not going to change, really have a dent in this pipeline shortage unless we scale. And so what we're looking to do now is we launch what we're call on teach Cincinnati is to scale those pipelines across all the high schools in CPS, and then the private high schools in Cincinnati, and then building out to the region around Cincinnati so that this really is a systemic approach to growing your own in a way that allows districts, support students early in their thinking about career development, providing students with the support and the college credit plus, so that they can actually earn credits before they even get to college.

Jason Lane:

And then part of our commitment is identifying resources to help those students be able to financially afford to attend higher education as well. And then, I ideally we think that this is a model that can be replicated. It's a highly intensive program. It is resource intensive, but we think it's the right way to do the work, but it is a model that's not going to be unique to Southwest Ohio. You can see this happening all over the country.

James Loy:

You've also, of course already talked about why the teacher shortage is such a critical problem. But I wonder if you could also just to emphasize the issue, talk about the flip side of that. What are the consequences of not addressing the teacher shortage? What would happen to society or what would society look like, or what would our communities look like if we don't do anything?

Jason Lane:

Sure. Just think about how much we take for granted schools that we have in our communities, and that children will have a quality educational experience, that we hope will prepare them for college, or for career. If we don't have teachers in those classrooms, a lot of that education won't happen. Even if we have substitutes, can come in and fill in temporarily, you have a rotating cast of babysitters, not educators. They're going to be in the classroom. And so what we'll see is a significant amount of learning loss at a time when this country has already experienced learning loss because of the pandemic. We have ground we need to catch up on, because of what occurred during the pandemic. Now we're seeing fewer teachers in our classrooms. And so it's going to be harder not just to advance learning, but actually to make it with learning loss, that's already occurred.

Jason Lane:

The long term effect of this will be felt probably for decades as individuals come through, they will need additional preparation for college, hopefully they'll be successful in college, or in their careers. That may have a net negative impact on their earning abilities down the road, in terms of reducing their opportunities for career development and career advancement. This lack of education also has all sorts of health implications. It has tax based implications. And for communities that don't have high quality schools, it's a lot harder to recruit employers to come in, to be able to set up a shop, because they realize the town pipeline isn't there. So the impact is multifaceted.

Jason Lane:

It just isn't on the student. It just isn't on the district. It just isn't on the community. It's on all of that. One of the reasons why Ohio was able to detract intel, was because they said we have a really incredible education system at Ohio and they know that they're going to have a talent pipeline. Well, if we don't have any teachers in our schools, we aren't going to have a talent pipeline. And so that's going to have detrimental impact on not just communities, but the entire state.

James Loy:

All right. Great. Well, thank you so much for being here for talking about the teacher shortage, about the new program, and we're excited and hopeful to see how it starts addressing the issue.

Jason Lane:

Absolutely. We'll do our best.

James Loy:

Jason Lane is the Dean of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's college of education, health, and society. And we want to thank Je'Von Calhoun and Marsha Mcdonald-Wheeler for their participation, as well as the students from Aiken high school. And we look forward to seeing many of them here on the campus of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, this fall.