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Teacher shortages continue to be a huge issue in many states. Yet states differ in their education policies and in the ways that teachers are prepared, compensated, and supported. These differences can result in dramatically different levels of student access to a diverse, stable, and well-qualified educator workforce.
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Research on emergency hires of teachers during the pandemic highlights challenges in teacher effectiveness and retention. Investing in well-funded, high-retention pathways like teacher residencies can support a diverse, well-prepared teaching force, addressing teacher shortages and improving student outcomes in the long run.
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Teacher residencies offer an approach to address teacher shortages while improving teacher preparation. Through robust financial and educational support, residencies attract diverse candidates who stay in teaching. Five effective California programs yield policy recommendations, including strategies for designing and funding sustainable, affordable programs that support candidates.
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Teacher apprenticeships aim to expand the supply of well-prepared teachers by allowing candidates to earn a salary and on-the-job experience while working toward a teaching license. Tennessee’s apprenticeship in teaching is the first to be registered in the United States.
Emma GarcíaWesley WeiSusan Kemper PatrickMelanie Leung-GagnéMichael A. DiNapoli Jr.
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With low salaries and high levels of student loan debt, many teachers are feeling the pinch of financial strain and job-related stress, making it more difficult to diversify, prepare, and retain teachers, and potentially exacerbating nationwide teacher shortages.
Emma GarcíaMelanie Leung-GagnéSusan Kemper PatrickLinda Darling-Hammond
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Public school teachers earn, on average, only 76% of the salary of similarly college-educated professionals. In addition to being underpaid, a stunning 95% of teachers still pay out of pocket to supply their classrooms, averaging $470 a year in unreimbursed purchases.
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It’s estimated that more than 300,000 teaching positions in the United States were either unfilled or held by people who were not fully qualified but, as pressing as it is to get qualified teachers in classrooms immediately to address shortages, effective policy must also focus on recruiting a well-prepared and diverse pool of candidates, along with retaining effective educators.
Linda Darling-HammondMichael A. DiNapoli Jr.Tara Kini
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Recent teacher shortages demonstrate the need to develop a stronger education profession in the United States. Experts have identified seven key areas the federal government can focus on to build a nationwide strategy for teacher recruitment, preparation, support, and retention.
Melanie Leung-GagnéSusan Kemper PatrickEmma García
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Teacher working conditions and student access to qualified and diverse teachers vary greatly by state. Bringing together data from every state, the authors describe their findings on the state of the teacher workforce and the implications for addressing teacher shortages.
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A review of reports on the teacher workforce and state agency documents covering the 2020-21 or 2021-22 school years found that, at a minimum, there were 314,134 teaching positions either left unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for the subject matter they were teaching.
