Summary
Laura Wright started teaching at the same elementary school she attended as a child in Citrus County, Florida. Now age 37, Wright has two children, and she left that school district for a teaching position at a fully online school. Only about 18% of the 148 largest school districts in the U.S. offer paid parental leave for teachers. The majority of paid parental left benefits are only partially paid, shorter than six weeks. The teaching industry is largely dominated by women. Of the 3.8 million full and part-time public school teachers between 2020 and 2021, 77% were women. Teachers have historically had little to no paid parental leave benefits. Currently, only a handful of states require districts to offer parental leave. Teacher turnover rates are up since the pandemic. About 23% of teachers leaving their school during the 2022-2023 school year.