New Report Sheds Light on How to Make Hartford’s Teaching Profession More Sustainable

Educators for Excellence-Connecticut unveils survey insights from 300+ teachers on priorities for the district’s new strategic plan

HARTFORD, CT —  Following their survey of over 300 educators across Hartford Public Schools (HPS), Educators for Excellence-Connecticut (E4E-CT) released today a new report that spotlights urgent actions needed to support teachers, strengthen the profession, and improve student outcomes as HPS develops its next strategic plan. The report on teachers’ recommendations to shape Hartford students’ futures comes on the heels of a staffing crisis, where a recent October report cited 173 teacher vacancies across the district.

Seven HPS educators designed a survey to gather insights directly from their colleagues, identifying clear priorities and actionable recommendations rooted in the expertise of those who know the schools best. The survey, completed by several hundred educators across 29 schools, revealed that the overwhelming priority from educators is focusing on the recruitment and retention of teachers. To do this, they recommend the following policy priorities:

1. Provide additional annual pay for teachers in hard-to-staff schools and subjects to address vacancies
   • Cited as top choice of 36% of teachers
   • Cited within top three choices of 71% of teachers
2. Provide additional pay for highly effective teachers in order to retain them
   • Cited as top choice of 26% of teachers
   • Cited within top three choices of 63% of teachers
3. Better align Professional Learning to curriculum and teacher needs, potentially by improving implementation of PLCs
   • Cited as top choice of 16% of teachers
   • Cited within top three choices of 52% of teachers

“Hartford is facing an urgent crisis. Teacher vacancies are impacting every classroom and student in the district,” said Daniel Pearson, Executive Director of E4E-CT. “As the district develops its next strategic plan, addressing this issue must be a top priority. Educators are on the front lines, witnessing firsthand the challenges students face. Their voices and recommendations are crucial to tackling these problems and driving meaningful change for our community.”

E4E-CT’s report highlights that Hartford educators are especially concerned with staff vacancies, particularly in special education roles: in nine focus groups across schools, both Special Education and general education teachers consistently raised special education-related challenges. Of the 173 teacher vacancies reported in HPS, 31% are in Special Education. 

“While we would love to see the district increase salaries across the board, we recognize that the district does not currently have the resources to increase pay for all educators, which is why prioritization of the hardest-to-staff subject areas first, like special education, is most important,” said Ellen Van Der Jagt, a special education teacher at HPS who currently has a caseload of 90 students due to vacancies. “As teacher vacancies impact educators and cause burnout across the board, we also need to ensure we are addressing the sustainability of the profession as a whole.”

“There is still so much more work to do,” Pearson noted. “We recognize that this work needs structural change at the state level, which is why our continued work with the Connecticut legislature to fully fund the Education Cost Sharing Formula and end tuition billing, is key to ensuring schools have the means necessary to meet all educator needs and make the profession more sustainable.”

While higher pay for hard-to-staff subject areas and highly effective teachers was the most popular policy shift amongst teachers, they recognized that compensation alone is not enough and that additional supports are necessary to make their roles more sustainable. Improved implementation of curriculum-aligned Professional Learning Communities was cited as one example. Research demonstrates teachers need 90 minutes of collaboration time weekly before it leads to increased teacher retention and student achievement. Still, HPS teachers are only contractually guaranteed 45 minutes of time weekly without students. The discrepancy leaves much to be desired when balancing lesson preparation and professional learning. 

“We know schools across Connecticut are working with the resources they have, and we understand the struggles that come with these limitations,” said Richard de Meij, an educator in Hartford Public Schools. “It is important that we, as teachers, come together to fight for what is necessary, be the voice of our students, and push the district to prioritize what is most needed to increase the sustainability of teaching. The work is not easy, but it is compulsory for positive futures for teachers and students alike.” 

Other policy shifts raised by HPS teachers throughout this process include:

• Creating and compensating teacher leadership roles
• Increasing school-level decision-making power through increased flexibility
• Improving the state-mandated mentoring program

E4E-CT will present its report to district leaders and the Board of Education on December 17th, emphasizing the importance of centering educators’ perspectives in the development of HPS’s strategic plan.

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About Educators for Excellence

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of more than 35,000 educators, united around a common set of values and principles for improving student learning and elevating the teaching profession. We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education.