Recent media reports of teacher shortages across the country are confirmed by the analysis of several national datasets reported in this brief. Shortages are particularly severe in special education, mathematics, science, and bilingual/English learner education, and in locations with lower wages and poorer working conditions. Shortages are…

The tension at the heart of pension politics is the incentive to satisfy today's claimants in the here and now at the expense of long-term concerns. Teacher pensions, in particular, pose two challenges. The first is that political incentives invite irresponsible fiscal stewardship, as public officials make outsized short-term commitments to…

While the pension plan landscape has changed remarkably over the last two decades, with most private-sector workers seeing a shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) plans, DB pension plans remain the overwhelming norm for K-12 teachers employed by state and local governments. With DB plans, teachers typically receive minimal…

This article explores the future of teacher labor markets. The authors find that teacher hiring needs will rise over the coming decade largely because of retirements. However, this increase will not be significantly different from that of past decades. (Contains 7 notes and 3 figures.)

Factors affecting the college faculty labor market now and in the future are examined, including the difficulties of forecasting teacher demand through enrollments and faculty turnover, economic and political conditions, the end of mandatory retirement, immigration issues, need for staffing flexibility, and emerging technology. Early attention to…

A study investigated academic policy development at 80 research universities concerning the academic labor market, academic reward structure, faculty seniority and retirement, and institutional research and planning. Results confirmed the need for more flexible academic personnel policies in support of senior faculty development and renewal and…