The Evolution of the State of Affairs and Status of the Teaching Profession

• In Event: Examining the Current State of the Teaching Profession: A Case Study of South Carolina

Abstract

The final paper presentation will cover four major sections: 1) the evolution of the teaching profession, 2) a comprehensive understanding of recruitment and retention in hard-to-staff rural schools in SC from multiple stakeholder perspectives, 3) a deep dive investigation of one of the state’s funding efforts to ameliorate teacher shortages for its most hard-to-staff schools, and 4) directions for the future based on all that was discussed in the symposium.

The presenters begin with a historical discussion chronicling the evolution of the teaching profession from a male-dominated profession in the early American colonial years until the late 20th century, when females became the majority gender in the teacher workforce. How this shift corresponds with the decline in the respect and prestige of the teaching profession is then illuminated and is followed by a detailed account of the current status of public education support and teacher supply in South Carolina.

Next, the presenters highlight a series of studies focused on better understanding teacher recruitment and retention in rural hard-to-staff schools in South Carolina from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. Rurality is emphasized given its neglect in the broader literature and because South Carolina is a largely rural state (which suggests the consequential nature of understanding the marginalized “truth” of rural educator recruitment and retention that is often ignored in the academic space in favor of large urban districts.) Collectively, this research helps provide a more holistic understanding of the conditions necessary to recruit and retain teachers in some of the most challenged districts in the Palmetto state.

In the third section, the presenters highlight their investigation of the promises and shortcomings of South Carolina’s funding initiative designed to ameliorate the staffing challenges for its most hard-to-staff districts. The presenters will describe the state initiative and report results from a comprehensive survey of funded districts to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges they faced and how current recruitment and retention incentives offered by the districts are complemented by the state initiative. The presenters will focus on 1) the specific teacher staffing challenges faced by initiative-funded districts, 2) staffing incentives districts spend their initiative funds on, and 3) how these incentives complement the existing staffing initiatives employed by the districts.

The final section will conclude with a synthesis of the major elements of the prior presentations, with an emphasis on implications for the future of not only the teaching profession but education as a whole. We also will focus on how this information can help stimulate future research and policymaking to produce meaningful positive consequential implications for the teaching profession. Specifically, the presenters will focus on implications for policymakers and practitioners to make meaningful improvements to the condition of the teaching profession. Further, implications will be drawn from earlier presentations for district administrators and school leaders responsible for teacher recruitment, retention, and development. Lastly, the conclusion will address the role of teachers in advocating for change, and the role higher education has in facilitating and supporting teacher preparation, development and retention.

Authors

• Henry Tran, University of South Carolina
  Presenting Author

• Doug Smith, Iowa State University
  Presenting Author