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America’s National Teacher Shortage: Looming Crisis or Media Myth?
Season 1 · Episode 89

America’s National Teacher Shortage: Looming Crisis or Media Myth?

Plain English with Derek Thompson

September 6, 202238m 35s

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Show Notes

Students are going back to school this month. But according to many news sources, there won't be nearly enough teachers to greet them. The Washington Post has warned of a “catastrophic teacher shortage.” ABC World News Tonight called it a new “growing crisis,” and the Wall Street Journal warned of a “dog-eat-dog” scramble to hire underqualified instructors. Heather Schwartz, a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corporation, explains why she thinks the "national teacher shortage" narrative is overblown, why declining teacher morale is a real story, and what's really happening in American public education today.

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [email protected]. You can find us on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@plainenglish_

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Heather Schwartz

Producer: Devon Manze

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