AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEW YORK AND SPECIFICALLY THE TEACHER SHORTAGE IN CLASSROOMS AROUND THE EMPIRE STATE, WHICH HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC.

DESPITE RECENT EFFORTS TO REPLENISH THE RANKS OF EDUCATORS IN THE K THROUGH 12 SYSTEM, THE PROBLEM COULD BE GETTING WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.

AS A RESULT OF A GENERATION OF TEACHERS EXPECTED TO RETIRE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

FOR MORE ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO REVERSE THIS TREND, OUR OWN KATHERINE RAFFERTY HAS THIS REPORT ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN TEACHERS RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK.

[ THEME MUSIC ] TONI GAMILS, CODIRECTOR OF THE TEACHER CENTER OF CENTRAL WESTCHESTER NOTICED THAT TEACHERS SHE WORKED WITH WERE STRESSED TO THE POINT OF WANTING TO LEAVE THE PROFESSION.

WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT BEING A TEACHER AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A TEACHER AND WHAT SADDENED ME IS THAT THE MAJORITY SAY THEY CAN'T WAIT TO RETIRE.

THEY CAN'T WAIT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE, AND THEY'RE COUNTING THE DAYS, EVEN THE YOUNG TEACHERS ARE SAYING THAT.

GAMILS BELIEVES THE PANDEMIC IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF TEACHER STRESS.

OUR NEXT GEN STANDARDS ARE STILL GOING FULL BLAST, AND WE HAVE TO KEEP THOSE KIDS UP, AND THAT IS SUCH A STRESS BECAUSE NO TEACHER WANTS TO LEAVE THEIR CHILD BEHIND.

WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED.

BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THEY'VE LOST TIME AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN-- THEY HAD A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE ALONG WITH THEIR TEACHERS.

NATIONWIDE, THERE ARE 280,000 FEWER TEACHERS IN THE U.S. TODAY THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

IN NEW YORK, THE TEACHER SHORTAGE WAS ALREADY AN ISSUE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

REPORTS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHOW THAT ENROLLMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS HAS DECLINED BY ABOUT 50% SINCE 2009.

ALSO MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF NEW YORK'S TEACHERS WILL SOON BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.

ANDY POLATTA, PRESIDENT OF NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS SAYS THE PANDEMIC HAS EXACERBATED THE ISSUE.

WHAT THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT US WAS QUESTIONS, A LOT OF QUESTIONS, WHAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO GO?

SO WE HAD, DO WE WEAR A MASK?

DO WE NOT WEAR A MASK?

YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE A MANDATE ON THE VACCINE?

DO WE NOT HAVE A MANDATE?

A LOT OF FOLKS WERE VERY CONFUSED BY INFORMATION COMING OUT OF THE CDC OR STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

SO I BELIEVE THAT THIS ADDED TO A LOT OF THE STRESS OF THOSE EDUCATORS THAT WERE IN THE FIELD ALREADY AND THOSE THAT WERE LOOKING TO GO INTO THE FIELD OF TEACHING.

THE SHORTAGE IS HERE.

WE HAVE DISTRICTS RIGHT HERE IN ALBANY WHERE THEY STILL HAVE OPENINGS FROM SEPTEMBER TILL NOW, AND I HEAR FROM OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND THE STATE THAT THEY STILL HAVE OPENINGS.

THAT NEVER USED TO BE THE CASE.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE COLLEAGUES ALSO CALLED COLLEGIAL RELATIONSHIPS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HELP WITH TEACHER PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN NEW STUDIES FROM NEW YORK KIDS, A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS THAT AIM TO IDENTIFY PROMISING PRACTICES IN ODDS BEATING SCHOOLS BASED IN ALBANY'S SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.

KRISTEN WILCOX, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, AND AARON LEO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, LED THE STUDIES.

THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

AND JUSTIFIABLY SO BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY HEAVILY IMPACTED WHEN SCHOOLS WENT COMPLETELY REMOTE.

OUR TEAM HAD SOME INTEREST IN, YOU KNOW, ISSUES AROUND TRAUMA AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS.

THE STUDY HAD SEVERAL KEY FINDINGS.

THE LEVELS OF EDUCATOR COLLEGIALITY WERE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC OVERALL BUT NOT ALL EDUCATORS EXPERIENCED THE SAME DECREASE IN LEVELS OF COLLEGIALITY.

EDUCATORS TEACHING REMOTELY EXPERIENCED LOWER LEVELS OF COLLEGIALITY THAN THEIR IN-PERSON PEERS DURING THE PANDEMIC.

THE LACK OF COLLABORATION AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONGST EDUCATOR COLLEAGUES IMPACTED THEIR MOTIVATION TO WORK AND FOR THEIR WORK TO BENEFIT THE STUDENTS.

WHEN TEACHERS CAN WORK TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER AND HAVE THAT KIND OF COLLEGIAL KIND OF ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE IN THE SCHOOL THAT REALLY RUBS OFF ON CHILDREN.

IT SEEMS INTUITIVE, BUT IT REALLY IS A THING AND IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE ON HOW KIDS BEHAVE WITH EACH OTHER.

WILCOX AND LEO IDENTIFIED POSITIVE OUTLIERS IN THEIR STUDIES.

THEY FOUND A FEW COMMON THEMES THAT LED SOME SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS TO STAND OUT IN THIS RESEARCH.

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRINCIPALS AND OTHER ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS, SO WHEN TEACHERS IN THESE POSITIVE OUTLIER SCHOOLS THAT RESPONDED A LITTLE BIT BETTER ON THE SURVEY REPORTED LESS SEVERE IMPACTS.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND WAS THAT THEY FELT LIKE THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATED WITH THEM BETTER.

THEY KIND OF LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

THEY SOLICITED THEIR INPUT, SO YOU KNOW, WHAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED AS LIKE DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP.

THE IDEA THAT IT'S NOT JUST ONE PERSON KIND OF CALLING THE SHOTS AND EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO FOLLOW IN.

LOOKING AT ALL OF THE DATA AND SAYING REALLY AT THE CORE OF WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A SIGN OF RESILIENCE, YOU KNOW, AND SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE TO BE TAKING AWAY FROM THE PANDEMIC IS THAT FOCUS ON JUST REALLY KEEPING RELATIONSHIPS STRONG.

THE SCHOOL IS REALLY A SAFE HAVEN FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE REALLY VERY VULNERABLE AND THEY HAVE MORE AWARENESS OF THAT, AND WHAT WE FOUND IN THOSE POSITIVE OUTLIER SCHOOLS IS A REALLY KIND OF TUNED-IN WAY OF DEALING WITH THAT.

ONE OF THOSE OUTLIER SCHOOLS WAS AT SHAKER ROAD ELEMENTARY IN ALBANY COUNTY.

BILL DOLLARD IS THE PRINCIPAL THERE.

IN MARCH 2020, WHEN THEY MADE THE DECISION, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A FRIDAY THE 13TH AND THAT WAS THE LAST DAY OUR IN-PERSON DAY FOR THAT SCHOOL YEAR.

WE TOOK THINGS IN TWO-WEEK CHUNKS.

I MEAN, THAT'S THE WAY WE WERE ASKED TO APPROACH THINGS.

SO YOU HAD A LOT OF NOISE FROM THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS ABOUT WHY WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS, BUT WE FOCUSED IMMEDIATELY ON OUR KIDS AND WHAT THEY NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY FINISH, YOU KNOW, THEIR SCHOOL YEAR.

USING A DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP MODEL AND IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY HELPED WHEN ADAPTING TO REMOTE LEARNING.

I MET WITH GRADE LEVEL TEAMS.

I MET WITH DEPARTMENTAL TEAMS.

I MET WITH SUPPORT STAFF AND YOU KNOW, WE JUST KIND OF CHECKED IN ON EACH OTHER EVERY SINGLE DAY, RIGHT FROM THE JUMP.

WE TRIED TO SHARE RESOURCES WITH EACH OTHER IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WASN'T OVERWHELMING, WAS SUPPORTIVE AND NO ONE-UPMANSHIP, NO LIKE, HEY, TRY THIS.

IT'S WAY BETTER THAN WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

THERE WAS NONE OF THAT GOING ON.

EVERYBODY KIND OF KEPT THEIR EYES ON THE PRIZE THE SCHOOL STAFF WAS ALSO COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING FAMILIES, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, ACCORDING TO DOLLARD.

I WENT FROM, YOU KNOW, BEING A PRINCIPAL IN A SCHOOL AND YOU KNOW, BEING AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY IN THE BUILDING TO NOW I FOUND MYSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE I WAS HOPPING IN MY CAR EVERY DAY AND I'M DRIVING AROUND DELIVERING CHROMEBOOKS OR FOOD OR CLOTHES OR OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT THAT FAMILIES NEEDED TO GET THROUGH IT.

TEACHERS CREATING A SUPPORT SYSTEM WITH EACH OTHER WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN MAKING IT THROUGH THAT DIFFICULT YEAR, ACCORDING TO DOLLARD.

IT MADE A HUGE, HUGE IMPACT FOR THOSE PEOPLE FEELING LIKE, A, WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

THEY'RE NOT DOING IT ALONE.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE AND WE'RE HELPING EACH OTHER OUT.

SINCE 2020, THE SCHOOL HAS MADE STRIDES IN RECONNECTING WITH THEIR STUDENTS IN PERSON AND GETTING THEM BACK ON TRACK IN THEIR LEARNING.

SO NOW IN THE PRESENT, I MEAN, THE BUILDING'S FULL.

IT'S THE HIGHEST ENROLLMENT WE'VE HAD IN A NUMBER OF YEARS.

KIDS, YOU KNOW, WE SEE SOME DIFFERENCES FOR THE KIDS WHO WENT THROUGH THE SHUTDOWNS AND THE ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF DOING SCHOOLING AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC.

YOU KNOW, THEY'VE HAD SOME LONGER TRANSITIONS AND SOME LONGER PERIODS OF LEARNING, THE HABITS OF MIND ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL, BUT OVERALL, IT'S BEEN VERY, VERY POSITIVE.

BUT TEACHER STRESS WAS ALSO NOT UNIQUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

AARON LEO FROM NEW YORK KIDS SAYS THERE ARE ALSO SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO BURNOUT AND THE OVERALL TEACHER SHORTAGE IS NO NEW YORK.

I THINK TEACHERS WANT TO FEEL SUPPORTED AND VALUED, BUT ALSO THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, REAL TANGIBLE ECONOMIC ISSUES, TOO, LIKE TEACHER SALARY, JOB SECURITY, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT ARE CONSISTENTLY RAISED.

WHEN SURVEYED, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALSO WHAT EDUCATORS WANT, TO TOO.

PALLOTTA, FROM NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS, SAYS IT'S ALSO ABOUT RESPECT FOR LACK THEREOF FOR THE PROFESSION OF TEACHING.

NUMBER ONE IS RESPECT THE PROFESSION.

IT USED TO BE SOMETHING WHERE EVERYONE HONORED THE TEACHER.

WE HAVE TO BRING THAT BACK.

THERE WERE YEARS WHEN IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE POLITICAL GAIN TO ATTACK THE SCHOOLS AND TO SAY THEY'RE NOT DOING THE RIGHT THING BY THEIR STUDENTS.

NOW, I THINK COVID HAS DONE SOMETHING WHERE PEOPLE REALIZE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO REALLY TO BE A TEACHER, TO BE ABLE OPEN A YOUNG MIND, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES AND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS.

IT IS A TOUGH JOB, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO WAS HONOR THE PROFESSION, FIRST OFF.

WE, IN NEW YORK, WE HAVE PRETTY MUCH THE BEST PAY SCALES IN THE COUNTRY.

SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE PAY.

IT'S ABOUT THE WORKING CONDITIONS.

BUT DESPITE THE CHALLENGES EDUCATORS FACED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, THOSE YEARS ALSO PRESENTED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND CHANGE.

NOW, AS WE EXPERIENCE OUR FIRST MORE OR LESS NORMAL SCHOOL YEAR SINCE THE PANDEMIC WITH STUDENTS FULLY BACK IN PERSON.

TONI GAMILS FROM THE TEACHER CENTER OF CENTRAL WESTCHESTER SAYS TEACHERS NEED CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM ADMINISTRATORS TO MAKE THE RECOVERY IN LEARNING GAPS.

WE LOOK AT WHAT OUR STUDENTS CAN DO NOW RATHER THAN WHAT THEY CAN'T DO.

I WISH THAT ADMINISTRATORS WHO DO FOR TEACHERS.

CELEBRATE ALL THE GREAT THINGS THEY DO.

WE NEED TO HAVE A COMMUNITY OF CARING AND NOT JUST COMMUNITY OF CARING IN OUR OWN HOMES, BUT A COMMUNITY OF CARING WITH IN THE WHOLE SCHOOL DISTRICT BETWEEN OUR FAMILIES, BETWEEN ADMINISTRATORS, BETWEEN TEACHERS.

WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER BECAUSE LIFE IS-- LIFE'S GOING ON.

IT'S GOING ON VERY FAST.

AND FOR WILCOX AND LEO FROM NEW YORK KIDS, THE RESILIENCE OF THE TEACHERS THEY SURVEYED IS A SILVER LINING TO THEIR RESEARCH.

THE PANDEMIC HAS KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED HOW IMPORTANT THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE TO OTHER PEOPLE AND HOW WE JUST-- HOW WE STAY MOTIVATED IN OUR WORK AND HOW WE, YOU KNOW, DEVELOP NEW IDEAS WITH EACH OTHER.

WE HOPE OUR STUDY DOES THAT.

YOU KNOW, REVEALS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE LESSONS LEARNED OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER, BETTER PREPARE OUR SCHOOLS FOR THE NEXT CRISIS.

THERE'S LIKELY TO BE ONE AT SOME POINT.

BUT ALSO TO CELEBRATE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'VE BEEN RESILIENT AND WE'VE COME UP WITH SOME REALLY GREAT WAYS OF DEALING WITH REALLY COMPLICATED PROBLEMS.

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