Age of Teacher Shortages

The Age of Teacher Shortages is a practical look at the reasons for teacher shortages in schools across America, and suggests solutions. These shortages are wide-reaching and becoming more extensive with each passing year. Although the bulk of the teacher shortages are within those which are state-trained and conventionally credentialed, private schools are also reeling under the pressure of insufficient staffing. Is there just a downturn in adults desiring to be in the teaching profession, or are there other elements at work? This book details elements within American culture that are causing teachers to leave the profession early. In addition to this attrition, the reasons less students are enrolling in programs other than traditional teacher education programs are also explored. Regardless the reasons for decreases in enrollment, the effect are negative upon states, school districts, and families across the United States. There are emergency efforts under way to address teacher shortages. Departments of education and local school districts are applying different certification and credentialing strategies to both attract and keep teachers employed. Many wonder what the overall, long-term effects of these new methods of employing teachers will be upon education in America. This book engages these questions, and more. In so doing, it provides a realistic look into the impacts of teacher shortages, alternative certifications, and causes of changes in twenty-first century American culture.

Dr. Ernie Zarra is a breath of fresh air to public education. As he addresses The Age of Teacher Shortages, he explores the issues causing these shortages and their implications for teachers and administrators. On a larger scale, unlike other education books that I have read, Zarra’s book provides strategic solutions. I have shared his books with others in the education field, and they all say the same thing: “finally, a common sense approach to dealing with the issues faced by teachers and youth of today.” His current book is another of these impacting common sense approaches. I recommend this book, along with his others, to anyone that seeks to do more than throw up their hands into the air, and run away from the profession., Dr. Ernie Zarra presents an important and timely examination of what could be the biggest crisis facing education since the advent of public schooling. In this book, he examines the reasons for the teacher shortage, analyzes the problems with alternative certification, and offers ideas for real solutions to these present concerns in this Age of Teacher Shortages., Dr. Ernest Zarra’s The Age of Teacher Shortages is a powerful and cogent assessment of the challenges that are certain to confront America’s next generation of classroom teachers. His argument is not for the faint of heart—for at the center of it is a powerful description of how America’s most important profession is in turmoil. His thesis is that the broader public must begin to understand the role teachers play in cultivating the values and behaviors that renew American civic society but also understand how these same teachers are simultaneously undermined in countless ways by countervailing forces and interests of the broader culture. Zarra’s poignant narrative is mandatory reading for both the expert in education and the common citizen who want to understand why the teaching profession is in crisis., Zarra’s pointed predictions are again on the money in his newest book The Age of Teacher Shortages. Those of us working in education see the abuses, we feel the pressures, we know the tide has turned from common sense education to what feels like a losing battle on some days. Aberrant student behaviors and a variety of systematic abuses are pushing teachers to the breaking point. Teacher burnout is real and creeping up the backs of seasoned veterans. You know it’s bad when veteran teachers start counting the days until retirement. Zarra spells out the problems as well as the answers. America should take heed.

Dr. Ernest J. Zarra, III is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Lewis-Clark State College. He has authored nine books, several journal articles, is a professional development presenter for school districts, and an experienced conference speaker.