When Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven announced she'd leave her post at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, she declared teacher retention her biggest priority.
"The No. 1 thing we can do in schools is to have a highly trained, highly effective teacher in front of our students," Vandeven told KCUR's Up To Date. Missouri, like many school districts nationwide, struggles to retain teachers for more than five years. That can negatively impact student outcomes.
According to Vandeven, teachers often struggle to balance the needs of students beyond classroom instruction and effectively prepare to teach. A caller from Kansas City, a teacher for 20 years, said rising rates of disruptive student behavior is also pushing teachers to leave the field.
In August, a Blue Ribbon Commission to study teacher recruitment found Missouri teachers felt "undervalued and under supported," and recommended tools and strategies to better support them.
Vandeven will step down as Missouri's Commissioner of Education at the end of June; state Sen. Karla Eslinger has been tapped to take her place.
- Dr. Margie Vandeven, outgoing Missouri Commissioner of Education
