Teachers are still struggling to make ends meet, despite the massive expansion of charter schools in recent years, according to a new report.
The report, which was commissioned by the National Education Association (NEA), found that while there has been a dramatic rise in enrollment in the charter sector, many teachers are still not making enough money to support themselves and their families.
“Teachers, and their students, are often left with the choice of either going into the private school industry or going back to school,” the report’s authors write.
“The stakes are high for teachers, particularly in the private sector, and are not always clear cut.”
According to the NEA, the number of teachers in the US has doubled in the past decade, from approximately 10,000 to over 25,000.
But in the first decade of this century, enrollment in public schools has remained stable at around 4 million.
But the number working in the sector has not kept pace with enrollment, and the report found that more than 50% of teachers are currently working in an elementary or middle school, or a high school, while only 20% of their colleagues are in either a middle or high school.
“There is a disconnect between the number and quality of teaching in these programs,” said NEA Executive Director Karen DeAngelis.
“In a country where there is a shortage of teachers, where they are still underpaid, and where many are not being trained, it’s no wonder so many of them are struggling to find work.”
“This is not an issue for a handful of people who happen to have a high profile in the education world,” she said.
“We need to fix this issue, not create more of it.”
The report cites the case of a K-12 teacher in New York City who was forced to resign after her employers offered her a $4,000 raise in lieu of a raise.
The NEA is calling for a public-private partnership to create more jobs for teachers in charter schools, as well as for a ban on new charter schools that are located in schools that have low or no standardized test scores.
“The fact is that these schools have not delivered results,” said DeAngelas.
“There is no doubt that they have not met the needs of our children, and we need to get the numbers right.”
In a statement to MTV News, the NEAs national president, Laura Cisneros, called the report a call for reform.
“In this country, we are all teachers,” she wrote.
“It is our job to make sure that our kids have the best education possible, and that every child has the chance to succeed.”
The study found that students in charter school programs were more likely to score lower in reading and math than students in traditional public schools, but were also less likely to perform well on state tests of achievement.
The study also found that charter schools were not as effective as traditional public school districts at providing teachers with adequate and affordable training.
