List of LPI Teacher Shortages Resources
The United States has experienced persistent teacher shortages for decades. These shortages hurt student outcomes and well-being, and affect underserved students at higher rates. The current era of shortages, which began as states rebounded from the Great Recession, was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to worsen in many states and in several subject areas. A number of factors influence teacher supply and demand, factors which vary by state. Research points to evidence-based policies that can address shortages and ensure all students have access to well-prepared professionals in the classroom.
The following selection of research and resources seeks to explain how teacher shortages emerged, how these shortages affect students and schools, and what leaders at the federal, state, and local levels can do to recruit and retain a highly-qualified, diverse teaching workforce.
Background on Shortages and Solutions
- Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experienced Teachers (Feb 2020 | report)
- Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It (Aug 2017 | report and brief)
- A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S. (Sep 2016 | report and brief)
- Solving the Teacher Shortage: How to Attract and Retain Excellent Educators (Sep 2016 | report, brief and fact sheets)
- Teacher Salaries: A Key Factor in Recruitment and Retention (Apr 2022 | blog)
Maps & Tools
- 2024 Update: What's the Cost of Teacher Turnover? (Sep 2024 | interactive calculator)
- State of the Teacher Workforce (Jul 2024 | interactive map)
- State Teacher Shortages 2024 Update: Teaching Positions Left Vacant or Filled by Teachers Without Full Certification (Jul 2024 | tool)
- Understanding Teacher Compensation: A State-by-State Analysis (Apr 2022 | brief)
- Understanding Teacher Shortages in California (Dec 2019 | interactive map)
- Key Elements for a Strong and Diverse Teaching Profession (May 2021 | infographic)
- Why Do Teachers Leave? (Sep 2016 | infographic)
Teacher Diversity
- Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color (Apr 2018 | report)
- Congressional Hearing: Tackling Teacher Shortages (May 2022 | written testimony and video)
- Promising Models for Preparing a Diverse, High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce (Dec 2019 | report)
State Policy
- Taking the Long View: State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession (Aug 2018 | report)
- Tackling Teacher Shortages: What Can States and Districts Do? (Jan 2022 | blog)
- Supporting the Educator Pipeline: How States and Districts Can Use Federal Recovery Funds Strategically (Jul 2021 | fact sheet)
California
- Building a Well-Qualified Transitional Kindergarten Workforce in California: Needs and Opportunities (Jun 2022 | report and brief)
- Educating Teachers in California: What Matters for Teacher Preparedness? (May 2023 | report and brief)
- Teacher Shortages During the Pandemic: How California Districts Are Responding (Jan 2022 | report)
- Sharpening the Divide: How California’s Teacher Shortages Expand Inequality (Oct 2020 | report and brief)
- How Positive Outlier Districts Create a Strong and Stable Teaching Force (Oct 2020 | brief)
- California’s Special Education Teacher Shortage (Feb 2020 | report and brief)
- Teacher Shortages in California: Status, Sources, and Potential Solutions (Oct 2018 | report and brief)
Other States
New Mexico
- Improving Education the New Mexico Way: An Evidence-Based Approach (Dec 2020 | report)
North Carolina
- The Importance of Teaching and Learning Conditions: Influences on Teacher Retention and School Performance in North Carolina (Jan 2021 | report and brief)
- Educator Supply, Demand, and Quality in North Carolina (Jan 2022 | report and brief)
Texas
- Strengthening Pathways Into the Teaching Profession in Texas: Challenges and Opportunities (Feb 2023 | report and brief)
West Virginia
- Preparing West Virginia’s Teachers (Oct 2021 | report)
Wisconsin
- Preparing Wisconsin Teachers (Mar 2022 | report)