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Susan K. Patrick

@susankpatrick.bsky.social

1.1K followers 308 following 41 posts

Senior researcher at Learning Policy Institute. DC-based. Studying inequities in learning for students and teachers. Working to strengthen the educator workforce. Opinions are my own. Mom, feminist, avid reader.

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Susan K. Patrick @susankpatrick.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Headed to #AERA2026? Interested in teacher prep, scholarships, or policy implementation? We've got an amazing panel on Sat. 4/11 at 7:45am(!) with @wesleytmorris.bsky.social, LPI, SSTAR lab at UW-Madison, and TPP leaders from UW-Madison and UCLA! convention2.allacademic.com/one/aera/aer...

Session information for AERA 2026:
Mitigating Financial Barriers for Teaching Candidates: Federal, State, and Local Approaches to Service Scholarships

Sat, April 11, 7:45 to 9:15am PDT (10:45am to 12:15pm EDT), JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 4th Floor, Diamond 2
Session Type: Symposium

Abstract
Financial challenges are often cited as key barriers to expanding and diversifying the teacher pipeline. Service scholarships offer one pathway to reduce upfront preparation costs and debt for teaching candidates and incentivize more people into teaching. This symposium delves into the implementation, analysis, and potential impact of these scholarships through policy, research, and practice perspectives. Two presentations describe the national policy landscape and implementation of federal programs supporting teacher preparation, including the TEACH grant. The remaining presentations share research on previously unstudied service scholarships, a statewide program in California and a local one in Wisconsin. Two discussants—teacher preparation leaders from each state—offer a critical practitioner lens and discuss program implementation and impact at their campuses.

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Susan K. Patrick @susankpatrick.bsky.social · 24/01/2024

Teachers are stressed about their loans! Of teachers who had loans, about 60% reported high or very high levels of loan-related stress. (And this data was collected during the loan pause!) Among teachers who took out loans, about one-third reported taking out second jobs to pay for loans. (4/N)

This figure shows the amount of loan-related stress reported by teachers who still had loan debt. Among these teachers, 3.9% reported very low stress, 10.0% reported low stress, 26.1% reported moderate stress, 22.5% reported high stress, and 37.6% reported very high stress. This analysis uses the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

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Susan K. Patrick @susankpatrick.bsky.social · 24/01/2024

Although newer teachers were more likely to have loan debt, some veteran teachers reported debt decades into their career. Among teachers w/ 21-25 yrs of experience, 2 in 10 reported still owing on their loans! Black teachers were especially likely to hold debt late into their careers (3/N)

This figure shows the percent of all teachers and Black teachers who reported still owing money on their student loan debt by years of experience. Among all teachers with 21-25 years of experience, 20.7% reported still owing money on their debt. Among Black teachers with 21-25 years of experience, 48.3% reported still owing money on their debt. This analysis uses the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

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Susan K. Patrick @susankpatrick.bsky.social · 24/01/2024

As a former teacher who just repaid my student loans last year(!), I felt this analysis deep in my bones. A few key findings: First, 2/3 of novice teachers reported borrowing, with 1/3 reporting they owe some of their student loan balance and 1/4 reporting they owe all of their balance. (2/N)

This figure shows the distribution of loan borrowing among public school teachers by years of experience. Among teachers with 1-3 years of experience, 35.3% never borrowed, 7.1% borrowed but have repaid all of their debt, 32.6% borrowed and still owe some of their debt, and 25.0% borrowed and still owe all of their debt. This analysis uses the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

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Susan K. Patrick @susankpatrick.bsky.social · 24/01/2024

📣📣 New report on student loan debt among teachers using nationally representative data! 📣📣 As of 2020-21, 60% of public-school teachers borrowed for their education, with much higher loan borrowing rates among younger teachers, Black teachers, and special education teachers... (1/N)

This figure shows the distribution of loan borrowing among public school teachers. 39.7% of teachers never borrowed, 23.1% borrowed but have repaid all of their debt, 25.7% borrowed and still owe some of their debt, and 11.5% borrowed and still owe all of their debt. This analysis uses the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

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