The Power of Us Survey by the American Institutes for Research is slated to close at the end of March. This rigorously-designed national youth workforce survey will give us the quality of data needed to better understand the depth and breadth of staff shortages and diversification challenges across a wide range of youth serving fields.
Equally important, it can help us understand the challenges behind these numbers. Pay is clearly an issue for both K-12 and out-of-school time staff. Most paid staff in the out-of-school time youth fields earn less than teachers and have fewer benefits. Some of these differences can certainly be chalked up to more advanced credentials, and better research can help strengthen the pipeline to full-time teaching, which is being increasingly promoted as a career path for afterschool workers.
We will lose out on an opportunity… Read Full Column at Youth Today
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