Should High Schools Do Without Substitute Teachers?

From the Marshall Memo #449

In this thought-provoking Education Week article, retired superintendent John Fitzsimons questions the value of using short-term substitute teachers at the high-school level. “Knowing that untrained subs will provide little instructional continuity for the students, why do high schools hire them?” he asks. The cost can run as high as $100,000 a year for a hundred teachers (assuming an annual absence rate of 5 percent), and handling substitutes is an ongoing headache for administrators. 

The three reasons usually given for using substitutes are: (a) not trusting adolescents to make good decisions without adult supervision; (b) fear of legal consequences if anything goes wrong when students are unsupervised; and (c) lack of viable alternatives. 

But there are alternatives, says Fitzsimons. For starters, he questions whether high-school students are really that untrustworthy. Many have been responsible for babysitting and supervising younger siblings for years, and when they go to college or begin holding down jobs, they will often be in situations where they must manage their time with little or no supervision (how many colleges hire substitutes when professors are absent?).

“We can provide [students] with sound educational options, rather than allow them to be baby-sat by a substitute who knows little about the subject and less about the students,” says Fitzsimons. He suggests forming a problem-solving committee to define the problem, brainstorm solutions, and try out ideas. Here’s what he did as superintendent of schools in Tenafly, NJ, and Lawrence, NY:

• Teachers met with their classes at the beginning of the year, discussed options for possible absences, and made a plan.
• Many teachers organized their students into study groups that met in the cafeteria, library, or auditorium – areas designated as supervised for students not in a class. 
• Some teachers arranged for students to audit other classes, work on art projects, practice music, or engage in club activities (with prior approval from the affected teachers).
• Both Tenafly and Lawrence had open campus policies, and students could leave the campus with parent approval.

“Allowing students opportunities to manage their time affords them a real understanding of the consequences of good and poor time management,” says Fitzsimons. “… It is a responsibility that comes with growing up. What better time to begin learning this valuable skill than while in high school?”

“Don’t Hire Substitute Teachers in High School” by John Fitzsimons in Education Week, Aug. 22, 2012 (Vol. 32, #1, p. 30), 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/08/22/01fitzsimons.h32.html