Addressing the Science Teacher Shortage: Creative Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Teachers

Meta description: Explore effective strategies for addressing the science teacher shortage and retaining STEM teachers. Learn about resources that you can implement immediately.

Imagine you have a bucket of water representing science teachers employed at your school. Despite your best efforts, holes in the bucket are causing water to leak out or teachers to leave.

According to NutMeg Education, “44% of the K-12 teachers reported that they are burned out as of 2023. However, the burnout percentage of teachers in the year 2022 was only 36%.” It’s a crisis that administrators need to address. Recruiting and retaining teachers are concerns across disciplines, but STEM teachers are particularly hard to recruit and retain. 

While you may not have created the holes in the bucket, administrators are responsible for fixing many of them. Some need to be resolved by the state and federal government, but we’ve identified 8 strategies you can do today as an administrator to recruit and retain science teachers or plug the holes in the bucket to keep the water in.

1. Provide adequate resources

Ensure that STEM teachers have access to up-to-date digital resources, textbooks, lab equipment, and supplies needed for effective instruction and learning experiences.

Labster offers virtual science laboratories that can supplement in-person teaching. Our platform will integrate with your instructor’s LMS, auto-syncing grades. Labster helps teachers prep for in-person labs, ensure students review the information after the lab, or replace costly/dangerous labs that students can’t do in person. It’s even been found to increase test scores.

2. Offer competitive salaries and benefits

Offering competitive salaries and benefits packages can help attract and retain qualified science teachers, making the profession more appealing to potential candidates. While you can’t control funding streams, you can advocate for increased local, state, and federal funding. 

3. Recruit from diverse backgrounds

Actively recruiting science teachers from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds can help create a more inclusive and representative workforce and inspire a broader range of students to pursue STEM careers. 

4. Have an open-door policy

Administrators should create opportunities for open dialogue among staff, students, and parents. Encourage everyone to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback and actively listen to their input. Implement their input where possible so stakeholders feel heard.

5. Offer professional development opportunities

Provide ongoing professional development opportunities for science teachers, including workshops, conferences, and in-service trainings. These opportunities should focus on subject matter, pedagogy, and new teaching technologies. 

This study found STEM teachers were more likely to continue teaching if they felt they were continuing to develop in their scientific fields of study as well as in education.

6. Encourage collaboration

Being the sole chemistry teacher in a high school can feel isolating unless you’re connecting with fellow teachers to learn from and grow with. Create spaces and opportunities for teachers to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from each other. This could include regular meetings, online forums, or mentoring programs within your school or across districts. 

You could encourage them to join Labster’s Community Campus, where science educators develop their virtual simulation skills, connect with other science educators, and gain thought leadership opportunities all while earning prizes along the way!

7. Take advantage of career changers

One way to address the science teacher shortage is to employ former STEM professionals/scientists making career changes to teachers. You can modify job postings to specifically invite them to apply. A study found that “because of their prior career and life experiences which they bring to bear on their teaching, career change teachers are perceived as a highly competent group who can address the significant needs in STEM teaching.“ 

8. Ask for referrals

Some of the best candidates can come from referrals from your current teachers and staff. Encourage them to refer people in their professional network. This can provide a new source of applicants for your school. 

See how Labster’s virtual labs can help equip your teachers for success.  Book a consultation now.