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ERIC Number: ED608871
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 36
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Fixing the Holes in the Teacher Pipeline: An Overview of Teacher Shortages
Barth, Patte; Dillon, Naomi; Hull, Jim; Higgins, Breanna Holland
Center for Public Education
School districts across the country are struggling to attract and keep good teachers, a situation that seems to be particularly acute in states such as California and Oklahoma. This is not a good time for schools to be facing a teacher shortage. States have raised K-12 standards to new heights with the expectation that all students will graduate ready for college and careers. At the same time, enrollments in public schools are growing more diverse and include higher proportions of English language learners and students with special needs. As local school leaders are painfully aware, the new standards will not be met if they cannot make sure all their students have the benefit of well-prepared teachers. School leaders are clearly feeling the urgency. At the National School Boards Association, which houses the Center for Public Education, the issue rose to the top of school boards' concerns just in the last year. This paper was developed in order to address those concerns and, hopefully, provide some useful information for moving forward. The authors begin by examining the scope of the problem. The first finding is hard to explain. While it is known that many districts and even whole states have teaching vacancies they cannot fill, many in the research community have concluded that, nationally, there is no shortage. Substantially fewer college students are enrolling in teacher preparation programs, but those who do appear to be completing at higher rates. More veteran teachers are leaving, but more new teachers are staying. The net effect seems to be that the supply of teachers nationwide is not significantly different than it was five years ago. In this report, the authors will look at the national data on teacher supply and discuss the issues affecting it with a focus on the three main leverage points in the teacher pipeline: (1) initial preparation; (2) recruitment; and (3) retention. The authors will examine best practices regarding each, including how districts have forged collaborations with universities to strengthen the local pipeline. The authors also highlight four states that have been impacted by shortages: (1) California; (2) Indiana; (3) North Carolina; and (4) Oklahoma. They conclude this paper with questions school leaders should consider in order to fulfill their commitment to provide every child with a good teacher.
Center for Public Education. 1680 Duke Street 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 703-838-6722; Fax: 703-683-7590; e-mail: info@nsba.org; Web site: https://www.nsba.org/Services/Center-for-Public-Education
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National School Boards Association, Center for Public Education (CPE)
Identifiers - Location: California; Indiana; North Carolina; Oklahoma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A