Legacy Leadership

Abstract

The teacher shortage is negatively impacting various communities across Minnesota. After the pandemic, teacher shortages surged due to various internal and external factors. Working conditions, lack of administrative support, and low-pay contribute to teachers retiring early or choosing a different professional field to work in. While Minnesota prides itself on offering equal public education to all children, location matters. Rural and urban communities are negatively impacted by teacher shortages which are further complicated by underfunding and depletion of resources, while wealthier communities have higher enrollment, more programming, and certified teachers. Though funding helps support schools, there is only so much money available to many rural and urban schools. Eventually, it is up to education leaders to apply creativity and innovation to their talent management strategy to recruit external candidates and retain and grow talent from within as a solution to solving teacher shortages.