By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

Figure 1 – Teacher Crisis – Too Many Empty Teacher’s Desks

“The pandemic has revealed that the only reason the education system isn’t crumbling down is that teachers and school staff are holding it together. We had the same impossible expectations as previous years, but then society and school administrations added on more and more.” – Nicholas Ferroni, Teacher

Breaking Points Exist in Every System

This proposal will make some people uncomfortable. Good. Comfortable hasn’t been working.

Breaking points exist in every system, including our American education system. When teachers quit faster than they can be replaced, the system doesn’t just decline. It breaks. And once it breaks, change isn’t optional anymore.

The American education system hasn’t collapsed yet. But it can’t continue in its current form. At least 411,549 teaching positions nationally (1 in 8) are either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments. This number increased by approximately 4,600 positions from just the previous year. Teachers are leaving in record numbers. The shortages aren’t just inconvenient. They represent structural failure. When there aren’t enough teachers left to staff classrooms, the law still requires children to be educated.

As NEA President Becky Pringle states: “This is a five-alarm crisis. If we’re serious about getting every child the support they need to thrive, our elected leaders across the nation need to address this crisis now.”

We have a choice: wait for complete collapse, or transform the system now with laws that put children’s educational welfare first.

As I write this in December 2025, the U.S. Department of Education is being actively dismantled. Secretary Linda McMahon has transferred major programs to the Department of Labor and other agencies, laid off nearly half the department’s staff, and stated her goal is to “return education to the states.” The question of what replaces our federal education infrastructure isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s happening right now.

This makes the conversation about community-based, locally managed education systems more urgent than ever. When federal oversight withdraws and funding flows to states and communities, we need clear frameworks for what comes next.

Yet despite this urgency, one critical question remains unanswered.

The Question Nobody Wants to Answer

I’ve searched extensively for solutions addressing what happens when teacher shortages reach the breaking point. What I’ve found are band-aids for a sinking ship: alternative certification programs, virtual teaching models, salary increases, retention initiatives. All valuable efforts, but all designed to save a system that may be beyond saving in its current form.

The numbers tell the story: 74 percent of public schools reported difficulty filling one or more vacant teaching positions with a fully certified teacher. Every state and the District of Columbia reported shortages in more than one teaching area, with special education (45 states), science (41 states), and math (40 states) most commonly affected.

What’s missing from every discussion: What do we build to replace it?

This isn’t theoretical fear-mongering. When there aren’t enough teachers left to staff classrooms, the law still requires children to be educated.

IMPORTANT CONTEXT: This isn’t about attacking teachers or parents. It’s about creating legal frameworks that let both groups focus on their legitimate interests while laws protect what matters most: children’s right to quality education.

Why We’re Stuck in Gridlock

Figure 2 -Teacher shortage statistics

Here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to say out loud:

Teacher unions protect teachers’ rights. That’s their job, and they do it well.

They fight for fair pay, reasonable working conditions, and protection from arbitrary termination. This is legitimate and necessary work.

Parents protect their children’s interests. That’s their job, and they should.

They advocate for their kids, push for accommodations, and resist anything that feels like their child is being excluded or labeled. This is also legitimate and necessary.

But nobody’s primary job is protecting children’s collective right to quality education.

The result? Gridlock.

Teachers burn out managing situations beyond their training because unions can’t force parents to address behavioral issues at home. Parents refuse accountability for parenting styles that create classroom disruption because schools can’t mandate how families operate.

Learning-focused students lose instructional time because nobody has legal authority to separate learning environments. Administrators watch the system deteriorate because both unions and parent groups can block necessary changes.

I’m tired of watching teacher videos about parents who won’t be proactive about their children’s education. I’m equally tired of seeing parents who won’t take accountability for parenting styles that contribute to the problems everyone deals with in schools.

The gridlock isn’t because teachers or parents are bad people. It’s because the system has no mechanism to prioritize children’s educational welfare when adult interests conflict.

Why Current Solutions Won’t Prevent Collapse

Figure 3 – The Gridlock Problem

“Teaching conditions have hit a low point in the United States in terms of salaries, working conditions and access to strong preparation and mentoring, all of which would attract and keep a stronger, more sustainable teaching pool.” – Linda Darling-Hammond, Learning Policy Institute

The problem isn’t just filling empty positions today. Attrition comprises about 90% of annual teacher demand and drives many of the shortages we see. Less than one fifth of teachers leaving are retiring. The others cite pursuing other careers, needing higher salaries, and dissatisfaction.

The pipeline is drying up. Interest in teaching among high school and college students is at the lowest level it has been in decades. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs dropped by about 100,000 candidates between 2012-13 and 2014-15. Between 2016-17 and 2020-21, 27 states saw ongoing enrollment declines of 5% or more.

The impact falls hardest on students who need the most support. Schools serving the greatest proportion of students experiencing poverty lost 29% of their teachers between October 2022 and October 2023, while schools with the lowest concentration of need lost 19%.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth contributing to the system’s breaking point: resistance to differentiated learning environments has been a significant barrier to effective solutions.

The insistence that all students must remain in identical classroom settings regardless of their readiness for collaborative group learning has created an environment where teachers burn out from managing situations beyond their training, learning-focused students lose valuable instructional time, educational quality deteriorates for everyone, and the most effective educators leave for environments where they can actually teach.

This resistance to acknowledging that students have different learning environment needs has been one of the driving forces pushing us toward collapse.

The breaking point forces honest solutions that current politics prevents.

The Solution: Laws That Put Children First

Here’s the breakthrough insight:

When we create laws that prioritize children’s educational welfare, we neutralize the gridlock without eliminating anyone’s legitimate interests.

Teacher unions can continue protecting teacher rights: fair pay, working conditions, professional autonomy. Parents can continue pursuing their children’s individual interests: advocating for needs, choosing educational options, maintaining family values.

But the laws establish non-negotiable standards: every child gets appropriate educational placement based on objective assessment, not political leverage or who fights hardest.

KEY INSIGHT: This isn’t about taking power away from teachers or parents. It’s about adding a third voice that currently doesn’t exist: the legal framework representing children’s collective educational welfare.

What This Actually Looks Like

“We must not return to normal, as normal is a nation where fewer than 30% of students read, write, spell, do math or know history, science, or civics on grade level. Normal is an education system which has consistently failed to deliver what students need and isn’t permitted, by its very design, to put student interests ahead of rules and contracts.” – Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform

When there aren’t enough teachers left to staff traditional classrooms, the law still requires children to be educated. Here’s what a transformed system could look like:

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THREE-TRACK SYSTEM AT A GLANCE

TRACK ONE: Collaborative Learning Hubs

Small groups (15-20 students), adaptive digital curricula, rotating specialists

Requirement: Demonstrated readiness for collaborative group learning

TRACK TWO: Intensive Individual Support

Higher staff ratios, evidence-based interventions, skill development

Goal: Develop readiness to transition to Track One

TRACK THREE: Alternative Learning Pathways

Life skills, vocational training, supervised work experiences

Goal: Functional independence and employability

CRITICAL PRINCIPLE: This isn’t about labeling children by ability or potential. It’s about matching students to appropriate learning environments based on their current readiness for collaborative group learning.

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Track One: Collaborative Learning Hubs

Students who demonstrate readiness for collaborative group learning attend small community learning hubs (15-20 students) with facilitators guiding adaptive digital curricula. Rotating specialists (authors like me, STEM professionals, trades experts) provide instruction in their areas of expertise.

Students advance by demonstrating competency, not by age or seat time. Sustained readiness for collaborative learning is the requirement for remaining in Track One.

Track Two: Intensive Individual Support

Students who need additional support to develop readiness for collaborative learning receive services in specialized facilities with higher staff ratios. These programs address underlying challenges through evidence-based interventions, working with counselors and specialists to develop skills needed for group learning settings.

Clear benchmarks determine readiness to transition to Track One: demonstrated ability to function effectively in structured learning environments with peers. Regular reassessment every 6-12 months ensures students advance when ready.

Track Three: Alternative Learning Pathways

Students for whom traditional academic environments remain unsuitable receive alternative programming focused on life skills, vocational training, and supervised work experiences. The goal is functional independence and employability through hands-on, individualized instruction.

CRITICAL POINT: This isn’t about labeling or punishing children. It’s about honest assessment of learning environment readiness. Students aren’t ‘bad.’ They’re in the wrong setting for their current developmental stage. Track Two and Three aren’t dumping grounds; they’re appropriate support structures.

Figure 4 – Three-Track Educational System

The Educational Placement Framework

Here’s where the legal structure becomes crucial. The rebuilt system operates on objective assessment and clearly defined educational environments, with parents having legitimate choices.

Three-Tiered Educational Options

Parents work with educational assessors and have three genuine options:

1. Public Learning Hub System

Students are placed in Track One, Two, or Three based on objective readiness assessment for collaborative group learning. Placement is determined by professional evaluation, with regular reassessment opportunities. Parents participate in developing support plans and advancement strategies.

Key understanding: Choosing the public system means accepting assessment-based placement. If you want complete control over learning environment, options 2 and 3 are available.

2. Home Schooling

Parents may choose to home school with public funding support for state-approved curricula. Regular educational progress assessments required. This gives parents maximum control while ensuring children receive adequate education.

3. Charter or Private Schools

Parents may place children in charter or private schools, which operate under their own requirements and standards that parents agree to upon enrollment. Funding support available based on financial need. This allows parents to seek educational environments that match their child’s needs and family values.

WHY THIS WORKS: Parents who disagree with public hub placement have real alternatives: home schooling with support or charter/private schools with funding assistance. Nobody is trapped. But choosing public education means accepting professional assessment for the benefit of all children in that system.

Assessment-Based Public Placement

For families choosing the public learning hub system, placement is determined by:

Professional assessment of student’s readiness for collaborative group learning. Observable criteria focused on ability to function in educational settings. Regular reassessment opportunities (every 6-12 months). Clear advancement criteria between tracks. Parent involvement in developing support plans.

Accountability Mechanisms

The laws must include:

Truancy laws apply equally across all three educational options. Regular assessment of educational progress required for all students. Home schooling families must demonstrate adequate educational advancement. Charter and private schools must meet state educational standards. Child protective services involvement for educational neglect across all options. Public learning hub students have regular reassessment opportunities to advance between tracks.

Funding That Makes This Possible

“Let’s put our money where our mouth is; let’s invest in the future by investing in the education of our youth and the re-education of those who need it and aren’t so young anymore. It’s not charity; it’s an investment in the mental, intellectual, and social infrastructure of our country.” – Steve Bivans

All three options receive public education funding:

Track One, Two, and Three all funded at appropriate levels for their different support needs. Home schooling families receive educational stipends for state-approved curricula. Charter and private school scholarships available based on financial need. Additional support funding for families with students in Track Two or Track Three. No child denied education due to family finances.

The Investment Shift:

Money currently spent managing disruption in failing classrooms gets redirected to: intensive therapeutic programs in Track Two, vocational training in Track Three, technology infrastructure for community learning hubs, specialist rotations for Track One students (this is where authors like me contribute).

Figure 5 – Equitable Funding Structure

How This Protects Everyone’s Legitimate Interests

For Teachers and Teacher Unions:

Continue negotiating for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions. Continue protecting members from arbitrary termination or abuse. Continue advocating for professional autonomy and respect. But: no longer forced to manage situations beyond their training in mixed environments that burn them out.

For Parents:

Continue advocating for individual children’s needs. Continue choosing educational options that match family values. Continue pushing for appropriate accommodations and support. But: can’t demand public system placement that disrupts other children’s learning.

For Children:

Students ready for collaborative learning get environments where they can actually learn. Students needing support get appropriate interventions instead of repeated punishment. Students requiring alternative approaches get practical skill development. All students receive education appropriate to their developmental needs.

Why We Need to Act Before Complete Collapse

Alvin Toffler warned: “Much education springs from some image of the future. If the image of the future held by a society is grossly inaccurate, its education system will betray its youth.”

Teacher shortages are accelerating, not improving. The question isn’t whether the current system will break. It’s whether we’ll be ready with solutions when it does.

If we wait for complete collapse:

Desperate, haphazard solutions get implemented under crisis pressure. Political battles intensify as unions and parent groups fight over scraps. Children suffer through years of chaos and inadequate education. The system that emerges may be worse than what we have now.

If we transform the system now:

Thoughtful planning creates better solutions. Laws can be debated, refined, and implemented deliberately. Transition periods allow for training and infrastructure development. Children experience improvement instead of chaos.

The Mechanism That Makes This Work

Communities distribute educational responsibility across retired professionals, parents, and specialists rather than relying solely on certified teachers. Technology handles direct instruction while humans provide guidance, motivation, and connection that software can’t deliver. Students advance by demonstrating mastery, not by completing seat time. This allows personalized pacing while maintaining high standards.

My Role in This Vision: As a Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes children’s picture books with ‘I am enough’ messages, I’m positioning myself to be one of those rotating specialists. My Authors for America concept would connect schools with qualified authors for educational visits. This is exactly the kind of community-distributed expertise this model needs.

Anticipated Objections (And My Responses)

“THIS SOUNDS LIKE TRACKING.”

Traditional tracking sorted by perceived ability and became permanent. This system assesses readiness for collaborative learning (not intelligence), includes regular reassessment every 6-12 months, provides clear advancement pathways, and recognizes that different students need different learning environments at different times.

“WHO DECIDES READINESS?”

Professional educational assessors using observable criteria: Can the student function effectively in a collaborative group learning environment? Can they follow basic behavioral expectations that allow others to learn? Assessment focuses on present behavior, not predictions about future potential. Regular reassessment ensures placement remains appropriate.

“THIS IS SEGREGATION BY ANOTHER NAME.”

All tracks receive equitable funding. All students have clear pathways to advance. Students in Tracks Two and Three aren’t “less than.” They’re receiving appropriate support for their current needs. Parents who disagree have funded alternatives (home schooling, charter/private schools). The current system segregates by ZIP code and family wealth. This system provides options regardless of economic status.

“YOU’RE GIVING UP ON PUBLIC EDUCATION.”

No. I’m proposing we save public education by making it honest. Pretending all students can succeed in identical environments while teachers burn out and the system collapses isn’t helping anyone. This model preserves public education by making it sustainable and effective.

What This Isn’t About

Let me be crystal clear about what this proposal is NOT:

This isn’t about punishing children or parents.

Track Two and Three students get help they need instead of repeated punishment in settings where they can’t succeed. Parents receive support appropriate to their situation, with funding for all three options.

This isn’t about attacking teachers or unions.

Teacher unions serve a critical function protecting workers’ rights. This system lets them continue that work while relieving teachers of impossible situations that cause burnout.

This isn’t about eliminating parental choice.

Parents get three genuine options, all publicly funded. Home schooling and charter/private schools remain available for families who want different approaches.

This IS about creating systems where every child can succeed.

Starting the Conversation Now

“We have a generational opportunity to re-imagine education. We can take a leap towards forward-looking systems that deliver quality education for all as a springboard for the Sustainable Development Goals.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres

This blog post won’t be the deciding factor in what replaces our education system. But it’s food for thought. It’s a framework for discussion. It’s planning for transformation before crisis forces desperate measures.

We have a window of opportunity right now. While the system is stressed but not yet collapsed, we can create laws that prioritize children’s educational welfare without eliminating anyone’s legitimate interests.

The alternative is waiting for the breaking point, then watching unions and parent groups fight over a failing system while children’s education suffers through years of chaos.

The breaking point will force honest solutions that current politics prevents. We can create those solutions now deliberately, or later desperately.

I know which future I want to work toward.

Figure 6 – Fork in The Road

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Discussion Questions

I welcome thoughtful responses, including disagreement:

What legal protections should be in place for students’ right to appropriate learning environments?

How can we fund all three tracks equitably without creating financial barriers?

What assessment criteria would fairly determine readiness for collaborative learning?

How do we balance parental rights with children’s collective educational needs?

What role should community specialists (authors, professionals, trades experts) play?

This isn’t about being right or winning an argument. It’s about being prepared to transform a system before crisis forces our hand.

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About the Author

J. W. Zarek is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has written or co-authored seventeen books, nine of which are published, including seven #1 bestsellers. Twelve of his books are picture books for children ages 4-8, with his debut picture book “Bella Brown’s Messier Than Messy Room” receiving the 2025 Moonbeam Bronze Medal.

Zarek’s 40 years of combined military and federal service bring systematic analysis to complex problems. He’s developing the Authors for America nonprofit concept to connect schools that want author visits with qualified authors who want to visit schools, and fully fund those visits.

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Related Reading and Sources

Teacher shortage data: Learning Policy Institute (2025). ‘An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2025.’ Data on unfilled positions, uncertified teachers, and shortage areas by state.

Teacher hiring challenges: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School Pulse Panel (October 2024). Data on schools’ difficulty filling teaching positions.

Teacher attrition and turnover: RAND Corporation (2025). ‘Will Educator Turnover Rates Ever Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels?’ Data on teacher turnover trends and recovery.

High-poverty school impacts: Education Resource Strategies (2025). ‘Examining School-Level Teacher Turnover Trends (2021-24).’ Data on turnover disparities between high- and low-poverty schools.

National literacy crisis: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – The Nation’s Report Card. Data on fourth grade reading proficiency levels.

Department of Education dismantling: Multiple sources including CNBC, PBS NewsHour, TIME Magazine, and K-12 Dive (November 2025). Data on transfer of Education Department programs to other federal agencies.

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What do you think? Can we transform the system before it breaks completely, or do we wait to see what happens after? Share your thoughts in the comments.