Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Shortages Resources

In 2015–16, districts around the nation struggled to get enough qualified teachers in classrooms and fell short by approximately 60,000. In this Twitter chat, LPI, the Center for Teaching Quality, and our colleagues in the Twittersphere discussed the shortages and evidence-based approaches to solving them. Use the hashtag: #teachershortage

During this forum, new data on the extent, nature, and cost of teacher turnover was presented and recommendations offered for addressing the issue, including evidence-based policies at the federal, state, and local levels to create a strong pipeline into the profession and provide ongoing support to increase retention.

This webinar was designed to inform LEAs (school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools) and partner organizations (institutions of higher education and nonprofits) about the latest research and promising practices in recruiting and retaining excellent educators, particularly in high-need fields and locations. The webinar and associated materials will serve as a resource to LEAs and their partners as they develop CalED proposals.

At this briefing, speakers discussed a new report from the Learning Policy Institute, Diversifying the Teaching Profession: Barriers to Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color and How to Overcome Them. The report reviews the research on the recruitment and retention of teachers of color, examines the current state of teachers of color in the workforce and the factors that affect their recruitment, hiring, and retention, and highlights opportunities for policymakers to grow a stable workforce of teachers of color in their districts and states.

Investments in teacher and leader preparation advance equity in the high-need communities where schools are often staffed by a revolving door of underprepared and inexperienced teachers. At this briefing, speakers discussed approaches to teacher and leader preparation that are effective in addressing these challenges, such as high-quality residency programs and Grow Your Own models.

In this webinar, co-hosted by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Urban League, we shared strategies that advocates and policymakers are using to tackle teacher shortages that disproportionately impact underserved communities.

Teachers of color help close achievement gaps for students of color, particularly in high-poverty environments, and all students benefit from having teachers of color. Unfortunately, although more teachers of color are being recruited across the nation, there are growing gaps between the demand for such teachers and the supply. This Washington, DC, briefing examined the federal and state policies that support a well-prepared and diverse teacher workforce.

A prepared and stable teacher workforce is foundational to California’s ability to achieve equitable student outcomes, close achievement gaps, and mitigate learning loss. But ongoing and deepening teacher shortages remain a major challenge, and emerging signals suggest that shortages may worsen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar explored the ongoing impacts of teacher shortages and the promise of teacher recruitment and retention strategies.

California's commitment to expand transitional kindergarten (TK) to all 4-year-olds in the state by 2025-26 will require the addition of up to 11,000 new lead teachers. In this webinar, experts from across the state discuss how teacher residencies can play an important role in expanding a well-prepared TK workforce to help meet this need.

Experts discuss the conditions in Texas that have led to teacher shortages; describes the work underway to stabilize the workforce; and offer their perspectives on solutions to strengthen the Texas teacher pipeline.