5 Ways Virtual Teachers Can Enhance School Offerings and Address Staffing Needs
Nearly 90% of public schools faced some level of teacher shortage ahead of the 2023-24 school year, 79% of which had difficulty staffing those positions with fully certified teachers.
Unfortunately, forecasts for 2025 have predicted nearly 225,000 teacher vacancies and according to reports so far, vacancies will exceed that number.
In the face of significant challenges, here are five ways virtual teachers can address educator shortages.
1. Expand Course Offerings & Specialized Learning Opportunities
Districts often struggle to staff specialized classes such as CTE, AP, and world languages with qualified teachers. This scarcity of qualified instructors can result in limited course offerings and diminished learning opportunities for students.
Virtual teachers provide a practical solution to fill these hard-to-staff positions, ensuring students receive high-quality instruction from a state-certified teacher of record.
Virtual learning also allows a district to offer more course options than they may have been able to on-site. Flexible virtual options don’t require you to first meet class-size requirements or navigate additional course schedules.
Schools can now teach specialized subjects like robotics, coding, and digital marketing thanks to robust resources and qualified teachers. This not only allows students to explore their interests and passions but also prepares them for the ever-evolving job market—factors that, in turn, help districts retain critical enrollments.
Not only can districts offer more courses, but they can also offer expanded learning opportunities tailored to individual student needs. Whether it's intervention to get back on grade level or engaging opportunities to advance learning, virtual educators can deliver targeted instruction, accommodating specific instructional needs to maximize individualized growth.
2. Keep Students on Track for Graduation
Delivering a promised path to graduation is critical, but what happens when you lose a chemistry or world language teacher and find yourself unable to fill the position? Virtual teachers can help keep learning on-track.
Virtual learning with a dedicated, highly specialized teacher can be a quick-turn solution to keep doors open and students learning without undermining the quality of curriculum and instructional practice.
The versatility of virtual instruction also helps you bridge gaps across your campus. Missing an upper-level high school English teacher in two of your buildings? While you continue your search for a local teacher, one virtual educator can support both needs with the benefit of virtual and intentional scheduling.
3. Enhance Instructional Capacity with Scalable Solutions
While schools across the nation battle staffing gaps, veteran educators are asked to do even more.
It’s no surprise that teachers continue to struggle with burn out and feelings of fatigue. Ensure classroom teachers receive the equitable support they need to succeed by safeguarding their time or expanding their capacity to do their jobs well.
Instead, consider how virtual instruction can offload an entire class, by way of a state-certified teacher stepping in, or providing targeted support and intervention through a virtual tutoring option that increases the capacity of the classroom teacher. Both options can help alleviate major pain points and allow your educators to reconnect with the passion, spark, and excitement of education that brought them to the teaching field initially.
Additionally, managing fluctuating enrollment demands can be a daunting task for district administrators. However, virtual instructors provide a scalable solution to meet these dynamic needs with ease.
By harnessing the power of virtual teaching resources, districts can swiftly adapt to accommodate increased enrollment without sacrificing the quality of education. This agility ensures that all students receive a positive and enriching learning experience, irrespective of changes in the student population.
E-learning solutions provide a seamless platform for virtual teachers to engage with a larger number of students simultaneously. Teachers can create a community and encourage interaction among students in remote learning using virtual classrooms, discussion boards, and collaborative projects.
4. Address Teacher Absences
Long-term teacher absences don’t have to disrupt the flow of learning or impact students' educational journey. Instead, with the strategic integration of virtual teachers, schools can ensure uninterrupted learning experiences.
A dedicated virtual teacher can be a reliable partner, stepping in to fill the gaps created by long-term teacher absences. Supported by on-site staff, they leverage direct instruction, one-on-one conferences, and small group interactions, ensuring students remain actively involved in their learning. Virtual educators can lead whole-group instruction or complement a long-term sub’s efforts with added content area expertise—whatever is necessary to ensure learning is uninterrupted.
Through e-learning solutions, instructors go beyond traditional teaching methods, embracing technology as a powerful tool to enrich the educational experience. By blending interactive content, real-time assessment, and collaborative learning opportunities, virtual teachers create a vibrant and dynamic learning environment that sparks students' curiosity and inspires a lifelong love for learning.
5. Alleviate Student Scheduling Conflicts
Students may experience timetable clashes when they aim to register for several classes that are provided at the same time, deal with job or family obligations, or engage in out-of-school activities that overlap with standard school timings.
Virtual teachers can alleviate these conflicts by providing flexible scheduling options. Students can take online classes to add to their schedules, so they can do more subjects, work, or activities without limits.
By offering virtual classes, students have the opportunity to expand their learning beyond the constraints of traditional bell schedules. This flexibility allows them to pursue their interests and passions without sacrificing their academic progress.
Virtual teaching resources can also be a great asset for students who have part-time jobs or family obligations. These students often struggle to balance their responsibilities and schoolwork, leading to stress and burnout. However, with the option of virtual classes, they can create a schedule that works for them. They can attend their job or take care of their family during the day and then access their online classes in the evenings or weekends.
Integrate Virtual Teachers in Your District with Edmentum’s Instructional Services
Simply put, virtual teachers are an essential part of modern education systems. They bridge staffing gaps by expanding learning opportunities, meeting enrollment demands, and managing staffing gaps smoothly.
Edmentum’s Instructional Services combines our best-in-class curriculum with state-certified virtual teachers to give every student a front row seat to learning. Our program offers personalized learning with over 500 courses in core subjects, AP, electives, and career and technical education. Options include flexible, anytime, anywhere virtual learning or synchronous instruction that keeps students in the building while delivering instruction aligned to your specific bell schedule.
Check out our Virtual Instruction Toolkit for resources to help you plan for your virtual instruction needs.