advertisement

Worried about teacher shortage? Invest in leaders

The “State of Our Educator Pipeline 2023” report by Advance Illinois underscores the challenges in Illinois’ education system and the urgent need to address the teacher shortage comprehensively. While recruiting teachers is important, addressing attrition, responsible for 90% of the demand, requires a deeper examination of root causes and strategies to retain high-quality educators.

Teachers often leave due to poor working conditions and inadequate support from school leaders. Investing in capable school leaders is vital for retaining high-quality educators, while effective district leaders play a key role in empowering principals.

Extensive research pinpoints four critical skills of effective school leaders: interpersonal skills fostering a positive school climate, instructional skills prioritizing teacher support, collaboration skills promoting teamwork and professional growth and organizational skills for efficient management. Diverse leadership has benefits, including increased teacher diversity and better outcomes for students of color.

We urge the Illinois State Board of Education to prioritize:

• Funding the Aspire Fellowship program to support leadership candidates and recruit educators of color.

• Supporting another cohort of the New Principal Recruitment grant for Arab, Indian and Asian educators of color and under-resourced districts lacking staff with principal endorsements.

• Restoring state funding for new principal mentoring.

• Maintaining state funding for new superintendent mentoring.

• Allocating district capacity-building grants to assist districts in implementing programs centered on the school leadership pipeline.

Illinois must make a significant commitment to establishing a statewide system for preparing and developing effective leaders, crucial for retaining high-quality teachers who can meet students’ learning needs and drive organizational and instructional improvements.

Erika Hunt, Director, Lead Hub

Lisa Hood, Research & Evaluation Director, Lead Hub

Regional Office of Education #17

Bloomington

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.