School Staffing

Innovative staffing models and other strategies for attracting and retaining talented educators

In Demand: The Real Teacher Shortages and How to Solve Them

Post-pandemic teacher supply and demand trends and strategic solutions to shortages

Teaching Innovation: New School Staffing Strategies Inspired by the Pandemic

School staffing strategies that developed during the pandemic, the conditions that enabled them, and how educators overcame barriers to the innovations

Tackling Teacher Shortages With Targeted Strategies

Smart responses to teacher shortages

Right From the Start: D.C.’s Groundbreaking Teacher Hiring Strategy

A model teacher-hiring system

Q&A: Gershenson on Why a Diverse Teaching Force Matters and How We Can Get There

The positive impact that Black teachers can have on Black students

A New Strategy to Solve the Substitute Teacher Crisis

Using financial incentives to draw substitutes to underserved schools

School Staffing

By the Numbers

Teacher Candidates

  • -42%

    Change in enrollment in teacher preparation programs between 2010 and 2015

  • +12%

    Change in enrollment in teacher preparation programs between 2019 and 2022

Source: Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis

Teachers of Color

  • 6%

    All U.S. elementary and secondary school teachers that are men of color

  • 26%

    All K-12 students that are boys of color

Source: American Institute for Boys and Men

Voter Issues

  • 80%

    Voters who believe that hiring quality teachers is very important for public officials to address

  • 27%

    Voters who believe that book banning/curriculum censorship is very important to address

Source: The Hunt Institute

Teacher Vacancies

  • 47%

    Public schools that were unable to fill a teaching position for physical sciences, 2021-22 school year

  • 26%

    Public schools that were unable to fill a teaching position for physical sciences, 2011-12 school year

Source: NCES

Teacher Salaries & Rent Prices

  • 15

    Cities where a one-bedroom rental is unaffordable for a new teacher with a bachelor's degree

  • 9

    Cities where a one-bedroom rental is unaffordable for a new teacher with a master's degree

Source: NCTQ

Principal Stress During the Pandemic

  • 83%

    Principals who reported frequent job-related stress last school year (2020-21)

  • 59%

    Principals who cited supporting teachers’ mental health as a main source of stress

Source: Learn Together Surveys

Underqualified Teachers

  • 163,650

    Underqualified teachers currently employed in schools 2022

  • 109,000

    Underqualified teachers employed in 2017

Source: The Annenberg Institute at Brown University EdWorkingPapers

Staffing Shortages

  • 53%

    Public schools reporting feeling understaffed entering the school year

  • 65%

    Understaffed schools reporting special education vacancies

Source: 2022 School Pulse Panel

School Staffing

All Work

Research Notes: Impact of Arkansas LEARNS Act on Teacher Salaries and Retention

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Research Notes: The Impact of Reducing Teacher-Licensure Requirements

Read More about Research Notes: The Impact of Reducing Teacher-Licensure Requirements

Legislative Tracker: 2024 Teacher-Pay Bills in the States

Read More about Legislative Tracker: 2024 Teacher-Pay Bills in the States

The Complexities of Tackling Teacher Shortages With Pay Incentives

Read More about The Complexities of Tackling Teacher Shortages With Pay Incentives

Research Notes: Pandemic-Era Emergency Licenses Diversified the Massachusetts Teacher Corps

Read More about Research Notes: Pandemic-Era Emergency Licenses Diversified the Massachusetts Teacher Corps

Testimony: How to Retain Teacher Talent in the District of Columbia

Read More about Testimony: How to Retain Teacher Talent in the District of Columbia

Research Notes: How Giving Principals More Autonomy Impacts Learning

Read More about Research Notes: How Giving Principals More Autonomy Impacts Learning

The Obstacles to a More Diverse Teacher Workforce

Read More about The Obstacles to a More Diverse Teacher Workforce

Teachers Like Us: Strategies for Increasing Educator Diversity

Read More about Teachers Like Us: Strategies for Increasing Educator Diversity

Research Notes: Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies

Read More about Research Notes: Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies

Research Notes: The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession

Read More about Research Notes: The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession

Webinar: Solving the Teacher Shortage Challenge

Read More about Webinar: Solving the Teacher Shortage Challenge