One of the absolutely wonderful education think tanks, the 1889 Institute, put out a study on the alleged teacher shortage last week.
They sought any evidence of a teacher shortage and addressed the other talking points being used to lobby for the Boren 22% sales tax increase. What they found was that there is an actual teacher shortage for 0.62%, less than one percent….a shortage that could be erased by taking the student/teacher ratio from16.3 to 16.4 students per teacher.
They also pointed out that if we matched Indiana's ratio of 17.5 students per teacher it would free up around $127,000,000. In 1975 there were 19.8 students per classroom and it has been proven that smaller classrooms have failed to show benefits other than employing more teachers.
They also looked at emergency certifications that are ballyhood as proof that there is a massive shortage of teachers. What they found was that 41% of the certifications were for elementary and early childhood education with very few for STEM classes. Most of the individuals were highly qualified with undergraduate maors, master degrees, even PhDs and MDs.
You can download the study here, well worth your time if you want to cast a truly informed vote on November 8th. Or go to the 1889institute.org and click on their Issues tab and choose K-12 Public Education and you will find the link to the story at the top of the page.
