Teachers are burned out. Here's why there's no quick fix

New teacher salaries rose by more than they had in a decade during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a recent report by the National Education Association (NEA). But while the 2.5 percent increase is significant, average overall teacher salaries have struggled to keep up, especially with inflation, NEA President Becky Pringle said.

“Overall, over these last 10 years, salaries have actually declined,” she said.

Pay is one of the leading reasons teachers have said they are leaving the profession, according to a 2022 NEA survey, which found that nearly 55 percent of teachers were considering leaving the profession earlier than they’d planned. Pandemic-related stress and burnout were also factors.

Pringle says the compounding effects of a “lack of professional pay, lack of respect, lack of time, and lack of resources,” has made it hard to keep teachers and disincentivizes college graduates from pursuing careers in education to begin with.

PBS NewsHour digital anchor Nicole Ellis spoke with education experts on challenges with teacher pay and what it means for retention.

This video was produced by Casey Kuhn, Yasmeen Alamiri, Julia Griffin, Megan McGrew, and Erica Hendry. Additional footage and photos provided by Thomson Reuters.

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