Why this chapter matters
This chapter collects Education Week’s last 12 months of reporting on conditions in American schools, with special attention to abused and neglected children. It’s a deep dive into what it means to be a teacher today, and how much harder that work has become since COVID.
This is a draft of Chapter 13 in KARA’s next book, Childhood Trauma – America’s Legacy.
A CASA Guardian ad Litem’s view from the classroom
As a former volunteer county CASA Guardian ad Litem, I learned how hard it is to teach my state ward children. For many teachers, the work is as much public health and safety as it is reading and math.
Many spent half their day keeping my ACEs‑impacted kids from traumatizing the classroom. Today, in my hometown of Minneapolis, some classrooms remain at 50% attendance after the ICE assault these past months. After COVID, an estimated 250,000 students didn’t return to school at all. Source
Most of my caseload children had mental health issues—often multiple diagnoses. Almost half were on psychotropic medications. Every child had been abused or neglected by the most significant adult authority in their life. That betrayal trains a deep distrust of other authority figures: police, social workers, and teachers.
My heart goes out to teachers. We are asking too much of you.
Violence in the classroom: what teachers are facing
Early in my work, I saw terrible violence twice.
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One small, 13‑year‑old boy in my caseload left his teacher disabled and out of the profession.
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Another 13‑year‑old girl was slammed into a thick wooden banister while biting her teacher’s face.
If I had been the teacher in either classroom, the result would likely have been the same. Once you witness the violence inside some of these small, broken children, you don’t forget it. I’ve learned never to block a child’s escape path; the triggers that flip a child into immediate violence are often invisible to both the child and the adult.
Ten percent of educators report being physically assaulted or attacked by a student in just the past year. Source
Please share this information with educators you know. Change won’t come until more of us understand what is happening inside America’s classrooms.
What school counselors say after COVID
The New York Times interviewed 362 school counselors nationwide about how COVID has affected students’ mental health, learning, and behavior. Source
Counselors reported that:
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Almost 90% of students are having trouble focusing on classwork.
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Over 70% are frequently breaking classroom rules.
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Many are skipping class and struggling with time management and collaboration.
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94% show signs of anxiety or depression.
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88% struggle with emotional expression.
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67% have low self‑esteem, and more than half have trouble with friendships, online harassment, or physical fights.
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85% are chronically absent from school.
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Almost half are vandalizing school property.
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38% bring drugs or alcohol to school.
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3% bring guns to school, and 11% bring other weapons.
This is the student body we are asking teachers to reach, regulate, and educate—often without adequate support.
Teacher shortages: why people are leaving the profession
Poor working conditions are a primary driver of the teacher shortage, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute. Source
The report argues:
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The issue is not a lack of qualified people but a lack of incentives for them to take grueling, underpaid, and under‑supported jobs.
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When shortages and vacancies persist, students lose services, especially those with disabilities and English learners.
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Remaining staff are stretched thin, exhausted from constantly covering for missing colleagues.
Even after the pandemic shutdowns ended, school disruptions continued.
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A district in Illinois closed for a day when 30% of staff and 25–30% of students called out sick. Source
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A principal in Minnesota covered two kindergarten classrooms at once to fill staffing gaps. Source
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Schools in Dayton, Ohio, and New York City have had to shift to remote learning on days when buildings couldn’t be safely staffed. Sources · Link
Fewer young people want to become teachers
The number of college freshmen who plan to major in education has dropped by more than half in 50 years. [Higher Education Research Institute data]
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In the early 1970s, 10–13% of freshmen aimed for teaching.
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By 2018, just 4.3% did—even as interest in other fields (social science, health, business) stayed steady.
At the same time, a Learning Policy Institute/NASSP study found that 42% of principals have considered leaving their jobs. Source
When both teachers and principals are thinking about walking away, it’s a glaring sign that daily life in schools must change.
Would today’s teachers recommend the job?
A recent Education Week poll asked teachers whether they’d recommend teaching to a younger version of themselves. Source
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More than half said no—they would not advise their younger self to go into teaching.
Job satisfaction has cratered:
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In early 2022, only about half of teachers said they were satisfied with their jobs, and just 12% were “very satisfied.” Source
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In 2012, 39% were very satisfied. In 2008, 62% were very satisfied.
U.S. teachers are paid less and work more
The OECD compared teacher pay to other college‑educated workers in 26 rich countries. [Source]
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The United States ranked last: U.S. teachers earn about 61% of what the average college graduate makes.
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In several countries (Lithuania, Costa Rica, Portugal, Latvia), teachers earn more than other college graduates.
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In Sweden, Germany, and Australia, teacher pay exceeds 80% of the typical college graduate’s income.
U.S. teachers also work more hours:
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American teachers work about 2,016 hours per year, more than in any other country studied—just ahead of Chile, Switzerland, and Japan.
Education Week reporting shows that teachers in the U.S. often:
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Work while sick. Source
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Put in 52–54 hour weeks. Source
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Skip lunch and even bathroom breaks because there is no coverage. Source
Screen time, sleep, and behavior
Common Sense Media reports that children’s daily screen time has surged since the pandemic. Source
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Tweens (8–12) now average more than 5.5 hours a day on digital devices.
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Teens average nearly 8 hours and 40 minutes—not counting school technology.
Too much screen time:
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Exposes kids to blue light that delays melatonin and disrupts sleep.
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Over‑activates brain reward systems through video games and social media, making it hard to “turn off” at night.
This leaves students more tired, more irritable, and less able to focus on learning. As one expert said, “Sleep isn’t actually always a valued goal for tweens and teens.”
For teachers, that means even more behavioral and learning challenges in the classroom. Source
Long COVID and health impacts on educators
An EdWeek Research Center survey in April 2022 found that 1 in 5 educators report having long COVID. Source
Long‑lasting fatigue, brain fog, and respiratory symptoms make already exhausting work even harder—and for many teachers, nearly impossible to sustain.
Crime, violence, and school shootings
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) tracks crime, violence, and safety in U.S. schools. Crime and Safety Surveys Program
School‑associated violent deaths (2018–2019)
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39 school‑associated violent deaths involving students, staff, and others.
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10 homicides and 3 suicides of school‑age youth (5–18).
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Since 1992–93, the annual number of school‑associated violent deaths has ranged from 32 to 63.
Nonfatal student victimization (2009–2020)
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Total victimization at school fell from 51 per 1,000 students (2009) to 30 per 1,000 (2019), then to 11 per 1,000 (2020).
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Victimization away from school fell from 33 per 1,000 (2009) to 20 (2019) and 15 (2020).
School‑reported crime (2019–20)
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77% of public schools recorded at least one crime, totaling 1.4 million incidents—29 incidents per 1,000 students.
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Only 47% of schools reported at least one crime to law enforcement, totaling 482,400 incidents—10 per 1,000 students.
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70% recorded at least one violent incident, but only 32% reported such incidents to law enforcement.
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Serious violent incidents: 25% of schools recorded them, 14% reported them.
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Rates per 1,000 students:
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19 recorded violent incidents vs. 5 reported.
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2 recorded thefts vs. 1 reported.
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8 recorded “other incidents” vs. 4 reported.
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Education Week has also tracked school shootings since 2018.
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In one recent year, there were 50 school shootings with injuries or deaths—the highest since tracking began—killing 38 people, including 31 students. Source
Hours, second jobs, and unfilled positions
New federal data show:
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Teachers work an average of 52 hours a week. Source
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Many take on coaching, advising, or entirely separate second jobs to supplement low salaries.
Staffing shortages hit many subject areas, especially in 2020–21: [NTPS data]
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Foreign languages (42.5% of schools had great difficulty or were unable to fill vacancies)
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Special education (40.2%)
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Physical sciences (37.3%)
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English as a Second Language (31.8%)
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Mathematics (31.7%)
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Computer science (31.3%)
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Career/technical education (31.2%)
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Biology/life sciences (30.8%)
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Music/art (23.3%)
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English/language arts (18%)
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General elementary, PE, social studies all had double‑digit difficulty levels.
Helping students recover from pandemic stress
For concrete strategies to help students recover from pandemic‑related stress, see:
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“Tips for Helping Students Recover From Pandemic Stress.” New York Times
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Full counselors’ interactive: Pandemic School Counselors
Add your stories to this chapter
If you have stories, comments, or data that would add to this chapter, please send a note to Hello@invisiblechildren.org with “Chapter 13” in the subject line.
You can also sign up for free Friday morning KARA updates here:
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
“What we do to our children, they will do to our society.” – Pliny the Elder
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