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California’s teacher shortage is worsening as demand continues to outpace the supply of new teachers. The shortage of special education, mathematics, and science teachers is especially severe, prompting an increase in the number of underprepared teachers. Low-income and minority students are disproportionately impacted by shortages, which threaten to undermine academic progress. This report details findings from LPI’s 2017 Update on California’s teacher shortage and offers policy recommendations to address this pressing problem.

California schools have long struggled to find enough fully prepared special education teachers, but since the 2013-14 school year these shortages have skyrocketed. This research brief examines recent data on special education credentials and authorizations and documents an alarming rise in the number of underprepared teachers entering special education classrooms.

The passage of Proposition 58 in November 2016 removes restrictions on bilingual education in California, creating new educational opportunities, especially for the state’s 1.4 million English learners. This fact sheet analyzes the state’s supply of bilingual teachers in light of the expected increase in bilingual and dual-language immersion programs.

School districts throughout California are experiencing teacher shortages at alarming rates, according to the results of a Fall 2016 survey conducted by the Learning Policy Institute and the California School Boards Association. Seventy-five percent of districts responding reported shortages, with 81% saying the problem is getting worse. This fact sheet provides an overview of survey results, including information about shortage areas and district responses to the teacher shortage.

The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) represents an opportunity for states, districts, and schools to equitably design education systems to ensure that historically underserved students are prepared for the demands of the 21st century. This report details the equity implications of ESSA and provides recommendations for ways in which states, districts, and schools can leverage the new law to enhance equitable educational opportunities and close persistent achievement gaps.

Seventy-five percent of districts responding to a Fall 2016 survey reported teacher shortages, with 81% saying the problem is getting worse. This brief details the results of the survey, conducted by the Learning Policy Institute and the California School Boards Association, including information about how districts are responding to shortages.

Many districts face teacher shortages that threaten their ability to deliver a quality education to all children. Rather than implementing short-term fixes that often rely on underprepared or out-of-field teachers, policymakers at all levels should look to the research for strategies that are effective at building a high-quality and sustainable teaching workforce. This fact sheet, based on a comprehensive review of the research on teacher recruitment and retention policies, identifies district policies that can ease shortages, while also prioritizing student learning and a strong teacher workforce.

Providing all students with excellent educators is one of the most important drivers of a well-functioning education system—a system that must prepare diverse students to participate in today’s knowledge-driven economy. However, many states are facing a teacher shortage that threatens their ability to deliver a quality education to all children. Shortages are most severe in certain fields (special education, math, science, and bilingual education) and in high-poverty districts and schools, where students most need highly skilled teachers.

The nation’s population and students have grown more racially and ethnically diverse, but the teaching workforce has not experienced similar demographic shifts. This brief summarizes the results of a study of the recruitment, employment, and retention of minority k-12 teachers, examining the extent and sources of the minority teacher shortage and offering evidence-based solutions to addressing the low proportion of minority teachers in comparison to the increasing numbers of minority students in the school system.