Across the United States, educators are walking out en masse. Vacancies — from teachers to bus drivers to custodians — aren’t being filled, and schools are scrambling to find substitutes. Those who stay are sacrificing preparation time to cover classes, taking on extra kids, extra grading and extra tasks. While working on an Opinion Video about the crisis, we heard of vice principals doing yard work, counselors covering lunch duty and teachers mopping floors. It’s an exhausting and destructive spiral. As people burn out and leave, conditions only worsen for those who stay. In our new video, six educators explain why they, and the American education system, are at breaking point.
The crisis that America’s education system finds itself in must be stopped. Millions of public school students depend on it. But the current freefall will not end until politicians start listening to educators, paying them a living wage, and giving them a reason to stay in the classroom.

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