This article reports on a systematic review of literature on the experiences of substitute teachers, also known as casual or relief teachers. This occupational group are an essential part of school improvement efforts, allowing release time for other teachers to participate in professional learning, complete administrative duties, and attend to…

Teacher shortages and lack of teacher diversity have led to growing efforts nationally to recruit teaching assistants (TAs) to be classroom teachers. Substitute teachers are not typically considered in these efforts. We pair longitudinal administrative data from a mid-sized urban district with survey follow-up to address how TAs and substitute…

This narrative study followed 11 vocational teachers in the Building and Construction program and examined factors that influenced their transition from the construction site to upper secondary school. The recruitment path for most technical vocational teachers means moving directly from the construction site to the school, where they begin work…

We examine the labor supply decisions of substitute teachers -- a large, on-demand market with broad shortages and inequitable supply. In 2018, Chicago Public Schools implemented a targeted bonus program designed to reduce unfilled teacher absences in largely segregated Black schools with historically low substitute coverage rates. Using a…

While previous studies have highlighted the significance of metaphors in studying teacher identities and values, little is known about metaphorical representation of teaching as given by casual relief teachers (CRTs). This study examines metaphors from participants who teach or have taught on a casual basis in Australian primary schools. Responses…

This study investigates the lived experiences of three casual relief teachers (CRTs) and their work within Australian primary schools for a period of one school year. Practice architecture theory was used as a theoretical framework to examine whether participants saw any advantages to working on a casual basis, how they think casual teaching could…

We use a unique dataset of student teaching placements in the State of Washington and a proxy for teacher shortages, the proportion of new teacher hires in a school or district with emergency teaching credentials, to provide the first empirical evidence of a relationship between student teaching placements and teacher shortages. We find that…

How have public sector austerity and the outsourcing of school provision under the Academies programme affected the state school workforce in England? Existing research claims that teachers are being substituted by cheaper support staff and that schools are becoming increasingly dominated by managers. However, these claims focus on the period…

In this report, a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) public school principals were asked about their experiences with covering classrooms and hiring staff. In the spring of the 2021-2022 school year, which coincided with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant surge, most principals struggled…

Classroom teachers in the United States are absent on average approximately 6 percent of a school year. Despite the prevalence of teacher absences, surprisingly little research has assessed the key source of replacement instruction: substitute teachers. Using detailed administrative and survey data from a large urban school district, we document…

Education is an indispensable tool for total economic emancipation in Africa and elsewhere. Thus, it is a great cause for concern that teachers, who are the main drivers of education, are so strongly affected by HIV/AIDS. A large part of the profound impact of HIV/AIDS is felt in education and threatens the quality of education. The study reported…

This study explored whether teacher status (full-time vs. substitute) and its interaction with teacher gender and length of work experience had an effect on the linear combination of teacher job satisfaction and work engagement. The study was conducted with 238 full-time and substitute teachers. The findings suggested that full-time teachers'…

Casual relief teachers (CRTs) are a significant part of the Australian education system. This paper reports how executive staff, such as principals, deputy principals, and head teachers, support CRTs, and the perceptions that executive staff have about CRTs who work at their schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a…

This qualitative study adopts an analytical autoethnograhic approach to present an exploration of school culture and pedagogic effectiveness as experienced by a casual relief teacher in six P-12 public schools in Victoria, Australia, 2022-2023. Organisational culture theory, as presented by Schein, and culture and effectiveness theory, as…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the story of a secondary ensemble teacher who experienced burnout and chose to remain in the profession. Eleanor and I met for three semistructured interviews and two observations. I used Clandinin and Connelly's three-dimensional inquiry space as a framework for this study. Narrative analysis…