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Effective teachers improve academic and life outcomes and help programs fulfill their intended purposes.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher shortages?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The pandemic exacerbated chronic teacher shortages. Schools struggled to fill positions, early retirement increased, and enrollment in teacher preparation declined—disproportionately impacting students in poverty, English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What strategies does the document recommend for a Teachers First allocation plan?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"It recommends proactive, targeted, and data-driven policy and practice to map where talent is lost in the pipeline and what actions can shore up pipelines. 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Yet, without effective teachers in every classroom, states may not experience the highest gains from their ESSER investments.  \nTeachers improve student lives in myriad ways. They improve students’ test scores, student attendance, and behavior. They have the potential to raise graduation rates ; increase the future earning of students  ; decrease future public expenditures  , such as health care; and improve other important life outcomes. Researchers also suggest that the consecutive assignment of effective teachers for Black students could close the Black-White achievement gap in 3 to 5 years.  \nEffective teachers are also a mediating factor for program effectiveness and become the conduit to ensuring that new recovery programs fulfill their intended purposes. For example, students who receive new technologies and connectivity will benefit only if they are supported virtually by an effective teacher. Similarly, classrooms that are reconfigured to address CDC guidance related to social distancing are effective only when they are staffed with additional effective teachers. Professional learning related to innovative curricula can only be implemented well with effective teachers. By investing in the educator workforce, policymakers and education leaders recognize and prioritize those who are pivotal in ensuring a return on investment on all recovery efforts.  \nAnd yet, states across the country have been plagued by a chronic shortage of teachers  , and with the advent of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, shortages likely have been exacerbated. Schools are unable to fill teaching positions, and students consequently do not have fully prepared teachers in the classroom. Early retirement in some states has increased dramatically, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs has declined. Most critically, the impact of these shortages has disproportionately impacted students in poverty, English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color—all of whom are less likely to be taught by effective, experienced, and qualified teachers.  \nSimply put, the best way to invest in students is to invest in teachers first. We urge education leaders to make significant, strategic investments in educators to stabilize the educator workforce and address teacher shortages. These investments will be essential to ensuring that all other investments find solid ground.  \nThe Risk of Widening Gaps  \nResearch suggests that one of the most significant impacts of the pandemic is exacerbating existing inequality and widening achievement gaps. A condition associated with the American Rescue Plan Act funding is that 20% of district funds must address student learning loss. The COVID-19 learning loss—or, as we call it, learning privilege—is grounded in the fact that some students were able to learn this past year, whereas others were not. Bridging the gap is essential to prevent additional disengagement of students who are behind. Given that the shortage of effective teachers disproportionately impacts students who are at a disadvantage in both schools and society ,  \nstates are in a critical position to use these funds to address equity and opportunity gaps. Investing in supporting and stabilizing the educator workforce in underserved schools is essential to avoid the risk of widening gaps.  \nEvidence-Base Components of a Teachers First Allocation Strategy  \nAs education leaders make strategic and comprehensive investments to support and stabilize the educator workforce, they need to consider engaging in proactive, targeted, and purposeful policy and practice that is grounded in their unique needs and contexts. Such engagement should include a","cbCairLS1v774vsn","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairLS1v774vsn","pdf",201470,"English","# Teachers-first rationale\n## Impact of effective teachers\n## Teacher shortages and unequal effects\n# Risk of widening achievement gaps\n# Teachers First allocation strategy\n## Evidence-base components and targeted initiatives","[{\"question\":\"Why should federal relief funds prioritize teacher-focused investments?\",\"answer\":\"Because without effective teachers in every classroom, states may not achieve the highest gains from ESSER investments. Effective teachers improve academic and life outcomes and help programs fulfill their intended purposes.\"},{\"question\":\"How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher shortages?\",\"answer\":\"The pandemic exacerbated chronic teacher shortages. Schools struggled to fill positions, early retirement increased, and enrollment in teacher preparation declined—disproportionately impacting students in poverty, English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color.\"},{\"question\":\"What strategies does the document recommend for a Teachers First allocation plan?\",\"answer\":\"It recommends proactive, targeted, and data-driven policy and practice to map where talent is lost in the pipeline and what actions can shore up pipelines. It also highlights short- and long-term initiatives such as differentiated staffing, increasing substitutes, Grow Your Own programs, residency, incentives/scholarships, licensure pathway revisions, paraprofessional-to-teacher routes, and mentoring to support retention.\"}]","Invest in Teachers First - A Call to Action for Teacher-Focused Investments of Federal Relief Funds | PDF",1792044093]