Aug 17 2018

Resources: Teacher Shortages in the United States

Press briefing speakers

Linda Darling-Hammond, President, Learning Policy Institute
Senator Joyce Elliott, 31st District (Pulaski County), AR
Desiree Carver-Thomas, Research and Policy Associate, Learning Policy Institute
Ryan Saunders, Policy Advisor, Learning Policy Institute
Danny Espinoza, Research and Policy Assistant, Learning Policy Institute

As the U.S. school year begins, districts and schools are struggling to fill empty teaching positions with qualified staff and hundreds of thousands of students are being taught by unqualified or under-qualified instructors. This page gathers our latest resources on teacher shortages that can provide useful background and data on this serious issue.

New Interactive: Understanding Teacher Shortages in California

Audio Press Briefing Recording – August 22, 2018

Interactives and Infographics

Interactive Map: Understanding Teacher Shortages in California (interactive map)
Understanding Teacher Shortages: 2018 Update (interactive map)
Understanding Teacher Shortages: 2016 (interactive map)
What's the Cost of Teacher Turnover? (interactive calculator)
Why Teachers Leave (infographic)

Background

Teacher Shortages: Causes and Impacts (memo)
Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It (brief and report)
A Coming Crisis in Teaching? (brief and report)

Solutions

Taking the Long View: State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession (report)
The Role of Principals in Addressing Teacher Shortages (brief)
Addressing the Teacher Shortage: What States Can Do (fact sheet)
Addressing the Teacher Shortage: What Districts Can Do (fact sheet)
Solving the Teacher Shortage: How to Attract and Retain Excellent Educators (brief and report)
The Teacher Residency: An Innovative Model for Preparing Teachers (brief and report)
How Effective Are Loan Forgiveness and Service Scholarships for Recruiting Teachers? (brief)
Effective Teacher Professional Development (brief, fact sheet, and report)
Does Teaching Experience Increase Teacher Effectiveness? A Review of the Research (brief and report)

Diversifying the Workforce

Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color (brief and report)
Minority Teacher Recruitment, Employment, and Retention: 1987 to 2013 (brief and report)
Why Black Women Teachers Leave and What Can Be Done About it (book chapter)

California

Understaffed and Underprepared: California Districts Report Ongoing Teacher Shortages (brief)
Addressing California’s Growing Teacher Shortage: 2017 Update (brief, fact sheets, and report)
California Teacher Shortages: A Persistent Problem (brief and fact sheet)
Teacher Residencies in California (brief)

A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.

Report

A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.

Sep 15 2016

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Widespread media reports of local teacher shortages have become a hot topic in education since the summer of 2015. After years of teacher layoffs, districts began hiring again as the economy recovered from the Great Recession. This report analyzes evidence of teacher shortages, looks at national and regional trends in teacher supply and demand, and investigates policy strategies that might mitigate these effects based on research about effective approaches to recruitment and retention.

Understanding Teacher Shortages Interactive Map

Interactive Tool

Understanding Teacher Shortages: 2018 Update

Aug 24 2018

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How states experience the teacher shortage depends on their unique mix of policies, conditions, and even cost of living. This interactive map provides a state-by-state look at key indicators of teacher supply and demand and the equitable distribution of teachers. States and the District of Columbia receive a teaching attractiveness rating, based on compensation, teacher turnover, working conditions, and qualifications, and a teacher equity rating, based on the distribution of uncertified and inexperienced teachers.

What's the Cost of Teacher Turnover?

Interactive Tool

What's the Cost of Teacher Turnover?

Sep 13 2017

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High teacher turnover—or churn—undermines student achievement and consumes valuable staff time and resources. It also contributes to teacher shortages throughout the country, as roughly 6 of 10 new teachers hired each year are replacing colleagues who left the classroom before retirement. This tool is designed to help policymakers and stakeholders estimate the cost of teacher turnover in a school or district and to inform a local conversation about how to attract, support, and retain a high-quality teacher workforce.