Policy Spotlight: An Unfolding Crisis in the Satisfaction and Supply of Teachers in Illinois

Abstract

This report, the seventh in IGPA's Policy Spotlight series, examines the impact the pandemic has had on teachers and school administrators in Illinois. While some of these challenges predated the pandemic, many have been exacerbated by COVID-19. This Policy Spotlight places the challenges facing Illinois educators in the context of COVID-19. It closes with suggestions for what can be done to support teachers at this crucial time.

Teachers are facing a perfect storm of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their professional realities have been upended to a degree experienced by few other professionals, yet the importance of their work has never been greater. Teachers express compounding fears for their own and their families’ well-being alongside their concern for the well-being of their students and communities. Although school districts across the state have worked hard to plan and implement instructional modalities that best respond to the needs of district families and communities, numerous challenges, fears, and concerns persist for classroom teachers. Put simply, the most foundational and rewarding elements of teachers’ jobs—such as interactions and caring relationships with students—have changed dramatically and strained teachers’ capacity to support those who are most vulnerable. Teachers are tackling these and other enormous challenges while fearing sharp decreases in funding and support. While some of these challenges predated the pandemic, many have been exacerbated by COVID-19. This Policy Spotlight places the challenges facing Illinois educators in the context of COVID-19. It closes with suggestions for what can be done to support teachers at this crucial time. To prevent a new wave of teacher vacancies, there must be a major reinvestment in retention and support of the state’s teaching workforce.