The Public School Mess
The article discusses the challenges faced by public school teachers, particularly in Texas. It highlights the high turnover rates among teachers and the lack of support and value they receive from the education system. The author argues that these issues contribute to a decline in the quality of education and the overall state of public schools.
- ▪The turnover rate for teachers in Texas is 12%, with Houston I.S.D. experiencing nearly 30% of new hires not returning for a second year.
- ▪Teachers are often seen as interchangeable and are not valued, leading to high attrition rates.
- ▪The author emphasizes that teachers do not teach for the money, as they are paid only for nine months and must stretch their income over the entire year.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The Public School Mess Amy Denton | 7:25 PM on May 27, 2026 AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell For most of my life, I’ve wanted to do two things: teach and write. I’ve now done both, but I’ve been more successful at one than the other. I went to college to be a teacher. It took me five and a half years to get my degree and teacher certification. It took me a year and a half of substitute teaching to get a teaching position. I taught 9th-grade English and, later, World Geography at a majority minority high school southwest of Houston. I was teaching there on 9/11. I quit two years later. I lasted all of five years. It took me longer to get my degree and teacher certification than the time I was actually on the job.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at PJ Media.
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