Research Question
Does teacher absenteeism impact student learning and what are the main reasons for teacher absences are the main questions to be answered. These questions were devised because two of the schools in our district have been on the academic distress list with the Arkansas Department of Education for the last four to five years. Too many teachers in our district are absent on a regular basis and our students cannot make adequate progress with substitutes and inconsistency. At our school alone, I have notice a tremendous amount of absentees from our teachers. Our school house students from second grade to fifth grade. At these grades the students are learning important foundational skills that are needed to continue significant learning at the middle and high school levels. This report includes information on teacher absenteeism from education literature, a breakdown of teachers’ absences at Townsend Park Elementary School, and recommendations to be considered that would minimize teacher absences.
Literature Review Teacher absenteeism puts students at a loss. New research suggests that teacher absenteeism is becoming problematic in U. S. public schools, as about one in three teachers miss more than ten days of school each year. U. S. teacher absence rates are nearly three times those of managerial and professional employees. First-ever figures from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, compiled in 2012, also show that in a few
I walked into classes several times to witness teachers with their head in their hands, stressed from the previous class. They shake their heads when the next class begins, collecting themselves and doing their best to not let their frustrations show. Students don’t cooperate. They are unwilling to learn because they are aware that the teacher will pass them anyways. There is no real incentive for them to work hard for a high grade. The students know the teacher has to pass them or risk their job. This is an all too common scene in today’s public high schools. Unfortunately, the efforts of teachers are shoved aside and covered by pressures to churn out passing students and high test scores.
A. Area of Need: For a number of years at Whitehorse High School (WHS), the administration has been dealing with a huge issue of chronic absenteeism among scholars. This year after collaborating with the administration we decided to tackle the problem of attendance, including having educators develop relationships with the chronically absent scholars and provide professional development on how to fill out the forms (Check & Connect) we wanted the educators to use during the six-week attendance intervention pilot. Additionally, we wanted to provide resources which would enable the educators to connect with their mentees with which they were assigned. The goal was two assign two chronically absent scholars to each mentor, then have the mentors consistently check grades, including missing assignments, while monitoring attendance, and connect with their mentees by building relationships of trust. After getting to know their mentees, we wanted the mentors to show they truly cared for each individual by providing the necessary resources to enable scholar
272). Absenteeism is a common problem in the workplace today, and it is a widespread concern in many organizations. Employees call out sick for a variety of reasons, but if it occurs frequently enough it becomes an obvious issue. Some staff members make absenteeism a habit, meaning they call out more than their peers. At this point, absenteeism results in disruptive work processes for other staff members and becomes financially draining to the employer (Sullivan & Decker,
Besides the casualties of the capital and a majority of American cities, the teachers that fail to do their duties are the reasons for students failing educations. A major reason for this, is because of the tenure that the Teachers Union provides. Teachers that are slacking, but have tenure, can rarely get fired due to the long process it takes. In fact, one in every twenty-four thousand teachers with tenure get fired. By these people being allowed to stay in the education world, the children cannot receive the education they need to succeed. It is proven these
The past decade has been hard on teachers, especially in 2002, when President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind went into effect. This brought about yearly testing from 3rd grade to 8th grade. If every child was not “proficient” and was “left behind” by the the education system then the school would be subject to sanctions. The worst
Just like in any other profession or aspect of life, there are many myths that threaten education in public schools. Many people believe that teachers are the most important influence in a student’s academic achievement. In reality, educators have a very little influence in student achievement compared to other influences in the students’ lives that is out of the teachers control. It has been proposed that teachers don’t need to go to school to learn how to educate, they just need knowledge of the subject matter. This could be extremely destructive to student learning because they would not have the proper skills to instruct a classroom. Another common misconception is that instructors in
The human resource department at Lightening University found that the leading cause of employee absences was related to unreliable childcare. Given the rural location, and the recent opening
Did you know that only one of a thousand teachers is fired for performance-related reasons? Teachers with bad performance are not being fired in America, which is caused the fact that teachers are backed up by tenure, but it can be fixed through changing the criteria a teacher should be fired on. Today, I will go over in detail what the problem, causes, and solution is to the issue of having bad teachers keep their job in America. So, first and foremost, I will discuss the problem about bad teachers not being fired.
The issue of teacher shortage today is continuing to grow. The effects of the achievement gap are reaching the teachers, not just the students: “...good administrators and teachers, who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, will be driven out of the profession…,” (Boyd-Zaharias 41). The achievement gap is part of the reason teachers feel they are underpaid, which happens to be one of the leading cause in teacher shortage considering, “Teachers were paid two percent less [than comparable workers] in 1994, but by 2015 the wage penalty rose to 17 percent,” (Long). Being a teacher requires passion in order to stay in the field, especially if the money in teaching is decreasing. Money is an important aspect for people when it comes to their careers, therefore, fewer people want to become teachers. This lack of teachers and the lack of college students studying to become a teacher leads to unqualified teachers and larger classroom sizes (Ostroff). Both of these causes are eventually affecting students’ learning environments. I chose this issue in education for my project because I have personally felt these effects, and I know others who have as well. As a future educator, I want to see better wages and better benefits, but this can only happen with qualified, passionate teachers. I plan on being one of them, and I plan on sparking a change. I am a future educator fighting to end teacher shortage.
There is a consensus among the concerned stakeholders that the quality of teachers is the leading factor in determination of student performance. In the case of United States, the student performance can only be given an impetus by the efforts which the state can make, under all costs, to develop and retain high quality teachers. The measures undertaken determine the level of turnover of the school teachers. Lazear (2009) similarly argues the length of employment is a critical factor in averse risks of employment a trend contrary to teachers treatment. The turnover of public school teachers will refer to the rate at which the state, which is the teacher’s
In addition, insufficient funding of schools along with quality teachers that are retiring are some of the problems we encounter in the education system. In some parts of the United States, there is a lack of adequate access to materials for reading and writing due to budget constraints. In Allen D. Kanner’s article, “Today’s Class Brought to You By…” he mentioned that with the baby boomers retiring, and a high turnover among new teachers, who are asked to teach subjects they are not properly trained for, are causing difficult classroom situations (280). Similarly, Governor Jerry Brown’s statement last January 11 pointed out that K-12 education has ‘borne the brunt’ of the state’s budget cuts with more than $18 billion in cuts over the last three years. This resulted in larger class sizes, programs are cut, and over 30,000 educators laid off. These teachers are very valuable in our society because they provide our youth with the knowledge and social experiences that they will use to better their future and the future of the entire world. As a student, I have suffered the consequences of triple digit fee increases and the lack of available classes offered. The high cost of education has put the burden not only on the students, and many of their parents, but educators, as
The future of the world is in the hands of the children. Whether the future be a positive or negative one depends on the children and the education they receive. The education of a child is so valuable that one needs to consider the importance of the child's education. Also, one needs to consider how to go about nurturing those bright minds so one day they can become independent individuals. As Educators, one needs to be aware of the short-term effects as well as the long-term effects in which education may play on the child's views of the world.
The education habits of students are rooted in them from the earliest days of their educational careers. The different influences on students, whether it be inside educational institutions, or outside is huge. The teacher of a classroom is the first and most pertinent influence in a student's educational career. Teachers provide students with the basic skills they would need to survive not only in the academic world, but also the world beyond. The relationship between teachers and their students is the key element in creating an educational atmosphere that is both pleasant and effective.
Teaching is a profession that is considered to be a rewarding challenging and complex role. An effective teacher does not simply teach knowledge their students and instead aims to arm students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will prepare students for life-long learning. The constructivist theories developed by Piaget and Vygotsky have impacted on the way that teachers teach and this has changed the approach of teaching to place a greater importance on the teacher instead to act as a facilitator of learning in an open, constructivist environment and providing students with the tools to challenge themselves to develop both academically and personally. The education of students within classrooms of today is
In the first year of teaching, four out of ten teachers quit. An educators job is not a walk in the park. In Kansas, we are facing a shortage of teachers. The most areas that are facing these shortages are Special Education, Adaptive and Functional Special Education, Early Childhood Handicapped, and hearing and visual impaired. It has been reported that Fewer students have chosen to major in education. There are many reasons that are causing the shortages, lack of