K-12 Confidential

Trina English Creator/Executive Producer/Co-Host, Co-Hosts: Manuwella Allen, Shawn English, Mandy Walker

Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance. While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all.  But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.   This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective.  These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.  Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums.  Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.

  1. OCT 26

    Episode 10. The Teacher Pay Mess: An Interview with an Expert

    This episode of K-12 Confidential features an interview with Dr. Paul Bruno, a distinguished assistant professor of education policy. The discussion focuses on the complexities of teacher compensation, highlighting evidence that higher salaries significantly impact teacher recruitment and retention. The speakers emphasize the need for differential teacher pay and challenges the outdated step and column salary structures. Throughout, it advocates for the formation of a national K-12 educator governing board to address these systemic issues and empower teachers to lead their profession from within. The episode also covers the broader socio-economic challenges teachers face, including high living costs and the inadequate social safety net. 00:00 Introduction to K-12 Confidential 00:31 Meet Dr. Paul Bruno 01:36 The Teacher Pay Mess 01:44 Challenges in K-12 Education 02:17 Teacher Shortages and Pay Disparities 03:53 The Complexity of Teacher Compensation 11:58 Differential Pay and Teacher Assignments 14:03 The Role of Veteran Teachers 46:43 Impact of Housing Costs on Teacher Retention 53:06 The Broken Social Contract 54:27 Introduction and Welcome 00:31 Introducing Dr. Paul Bruno 01:36 The Teacher Pay Mess 03:53 Challenges in Teacher Compensation 11:53 Differential Pay and Teacher Incentives 46:43 The Impact of Housing Costs on Teacher Pay 54:20 Conclusion and Call to Action We need more teacher voices to this this justice! Visit us at k-12confidential.com to request to speak on the podcast. Sign the petition to join the movement to save K-12 Education!

    55 min
  2. OCT 18

    Episode 9. Intro to the Teacher Pay Mess

    In this episode of K-12 Confidential, hosts Trina and Melissa discuss the critical issues surrounding teacher pay in the United States. Melissa, a veteran teacher with diverse educational experiences, joins Trina for an in-depth conversation about why teacher salaries are so low and the historical and systemic reasons behind it. They explore the impact of structural flaws in the educational system, the disparities in per-pupil spending across different states, and the misplaced values affecting education. The episode also covers the complexities of the step and column pay structure and its implications for teachers' financial well-being. They highlight how these issues contribute to the difficulty in retaining veteran teachers and attracting new talent, ultimately affecting student outcomes. It's a revealing discussion that calls for a reevaluation of how society values and compensates educators. 00:00 Introduction to K-12 Education Crisis 00:44 Meet the Co-Host: Melissa's Journey 03:09 The Teacher Pay Dilemma 07:04 Historical Context of Teacher Pay 14:31 Structural Issues in Teacher Compensation 17:20 Challenges and Solutions in Teacher Pay 26:25 The Impact of Teacher Pay on Education Quality 33:03 Challenges in K-12 Governance 33:36 Inequities in School Districts 35:34 Teacher Pay Over the Years 37:49 Healthcare Costs for Teachers 42:18 The Calling of Teaching 50:18 Teacher Strikes and Union Challenges 54:18 State Spending on Education 01:00:25 Proposals for Improving Teacher Pay We need more teacher voices to this this justice! Visit us at k-12confidential.com to request to speak on the podcast. Sign the petition to join the movement to save K-12 Education!

    1h 7m
  3. AUG 30

    Episode 5. Evidence of the Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno

    In this episode of K-12 Confidential, the hosts discuss the convoluted and fragmented governance of K-12 education and its role in the teacher shortage crisis. The core argument posits that the decentralized local control model obfuscates accountability, leading the public to mistakenly blame teachers and the federal government. The podcast extends an invitation for public engagement and emphasizes the non-partisan nature of the discussion. It features an interview with Dr. Paul Bruno, co-author of a scholarly article on teacher shortages, who discusses his journey in education and the methodology behind their research. The episode argues for targeted interventions based on localized data to effectively address teacher shortages. The conversation culminates in a call to action: a petition advocating for a K-12 Educator Governing Board that would allow teachers to lead their profession from within, ensuring a quality education for all students. 00:00 Introduction to K-12 Governance Issues 01:11 Podcast's Stance and Public Interaction 02:51 Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno Begins 03:58 Dr. Bruno's Background and Research Interests 06:35 Teacher Shortage Crisis: Origins and Impacts 14:39 Challenges in Quantifying Teacher Shortages 22:39 Methodology and Data Collection 38:21 Credential Course Coursework Issue 38:28 Teacher Hiring Challenges 39:06 Economic Impact on School Staffing 40:37 Gender Pay Gap in Teaching 41:15 Teacher Preparation and Credentialing 42:11 Induction and Certification Requirements 43:10 Teacher Shortages and Policy Reflections 47:49 Data Availability and State Categories 53:02 Local Control and Data Limitations 57:29 Addressing Teacher Shortages 01:00:51 Teacher Leadership and Compensation 01:10:46 Final Thoughts and Conclusion We need more teacher voices to this this justice! Visit us at k-12confidential.com to request to speak on the podcast. Sign the petition to join the movement to save K-12 Education!

    1h 13m

About

Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance. While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all.  But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.   This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective.  These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.  Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums.  Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.