Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia
[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is
acknowledged]
School shootings, curriculum restrictions, book bans during a pandemic have teachers in the United States stressed. American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is quoted in an AFT press release as saying, “Whether it was mask wars, culture wars, the war on truth, or the devastation in Uvalde, members sacrificed and struggled and carried their schools and their students through the most difficult days of their lives.” According to a study by Hart Research Associates for the AFT, 15% of the PK-12 teachers surveyed in June 2022 said they will definitely leave teaching in the next year or two, and another 23% said they probably would leave.
The Hart Study, “Under Siege: The Outlook of AFT Members,” found that about 90% of the survey respondents believe that “schools have become too politicized, following a year of political attacks on teachers waged by politicians stoking culture wars and banning books for personal gain.” Politicization of education comes on top of dissatisfaction with other working conditions and compensation.
I know it sounds predatory, but could Canada benefit from recruiting alienated teachers from the United States?
Most Canadian provinces and territories suffer persistent shortages of teachers in specialty areas: mathematics, physics, special education, French immersion, French first language, etc. The shortages are especially acute in rural and remote communities.
Shortages are often filled by people working on a temporary letter of permission, a time-limited permit issued to persons who do not fully meet the requirements for certification. Some shortages are filled by certificated teachers whose preparation is not a complete match with the requirement of the position.
Individuals who have the educational background and experience to fill labour market needs can immigrate to Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Would-be applicants should check each province or territory of interest to determine whether their occupational specialization is eligible. Applicants must select and apply to the province or territory to which they would like to immigrate. If deemed eligible, the jurisdiction must nominate qualified applicants who seek to reside in the province or territory. If approved, the applicant must apply for permanent residence.
There is no doubt some hurdles will need to be crossed before teachers in speciality areas would be added to the list of nominee-eligible candidates, including credential assessments and criminal background checks. Data from the 2018 TALIS study, indicate that, if anything, the level of educational attainment of teachers in the United States exceeds the attainment of Canadian (Alberta)[1] teachers. Among teachers in Alberta, 84% hold a bachelor’s degree and 14% hold master’s degrees. In the United States 43% hold bachelor’s degrees and 53% hold master’s degrees.
It would be a win-win if
Canada could attract qualified persons to teach in areas of persistent shortage
who wished to escape the negative conditions that are making teaching stressful
in the United States.
[1]
In 2018, Alberta was the only Canadian jurisdiction to take part in the TALIS -
The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey.