COVID-19 and the pre-existing language teacher supply crisis

Abstract

The insufficient supply of K-12 language – world language (WL) and English as a second language (ESL) – teachers in the United States has been a pervasive challenge for school administrators seeking to provide language learning opportunities for their students. The issue is complex – including numerous factors that adversely affect the recruitment of future educators as well as their retention once in the classroom. Almost all states report a dearth of WL and/or ESL teachers, and WL is the discipline with the highest predictive teacher turnover rate – whether by leaving the profession entirely ( leavers) or opting to move to a different school ( movers). In spring 2020, the global health pandemic placed additional demands on all educators, and consequently some reports predict an exodus of teachers from K-12 schools. This article presents the results of a study exploring language teachers’ intention to leave the profession as a consequence of school-related responsibilities and experiences during spring 2020. Data revealed three profiles of K-12 language teachers: stayers, leavers, and conditional stayers. Implications related to influential factors in teachers’ potential decisions to remain in or exit the profession are provided.