Staff Shortages

Education news, analysis, and opinion about challenges associated with having unfilled school or district staff positions
Human icon print screen on wooden cube block with space for Human Resource Management and Recruitment hiring concept.
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Teaching Profession How Uncertified Teachers Went From a Stopgap to an Escalating Crisis
Using uncertified teachers to fill shortages may further destabilize the educator pipeline.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 20, 2025
10 min read
Waist-up view of early 30s teacher sitting with 11 year old Hispanic student at library round table and holding book as she pronounces the words.
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Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says These Maps Reveal Gaps in Special Education, English-Learner Teacher Supply
Long-term teacher shortages for these growing populations demand new solutions to rebuild pipelines.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 30, 2025
3 min read
Image missing teacher in classroom at in elementary classroom.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention The United Nations Says Teacher Shortages Are a Global Problem
Worldwide, countries need to recruit another 44 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030 to meet demand, a new report finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 3, 2025
3 min read
K12 Faculty GOS
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Recruitment & Retention Professional Learning Guide Your Guide to Recruitment & Retention
Combat staffing shortages with actionable strategies and tips from this professional learning guide.
August 13, 2025
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator on a J-1 visa from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas.
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator on a J-1 visa from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas, on June 18, 2024. It's unclear whether a recent pause on interviews for the visa will affect districts' attempts to find teachers abroad to fill hard-to-staff positions.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Teaching Profession Will a J-1 Visa Freeze Disrupt Teacher Staffing?
A federal pause on appointments for J-1 visas could affect districts, which have used international teachers to fill staffing holes.
Evie Blad, June 4, 2025
5 min read
Surreal illustation of intersecting arrows and stairs.
Eoneren / E+
Recruitment & Retention Will Fired Federal Workers Consider Teaching? Some Schools May Soon Find Out
Thousands of federal employees face unemployment. Some states and districts see an opportunity to recruit skilled workers to the classroom.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 3, 2025
6 min read
Overwork Burnout Symptom Concept. Tired Overloaded Teacher Character with Low Life Energy Power
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Teaching Profession Teacher Burnout Is Real. What's to Blame—and How to Keep It at Bay
Teachers share their tips for avoiding burnout.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 28, 2025
3 min read
Image of innovative solutions around staffing.
Laura Baker/Education Week and Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says Teacher Shortages Are Improving—With Two Big Exceptions
New job posting data suggests staffing support needs to be targeted at particular areas.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 17, 2025
4 min read
Students in Miranda Baxter’s Welding Program work on projects at the Journey Career Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Students in Miranda Baxter’s Welding Program work on projects at the Journey Career Center on Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif. Career and technical education is rising in popularity among students, but qualified teachers remain hard to find.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention CTE Grows in Popularity Among Students, But Teachers Are Tough to Find
As career and technology education becomes more popular among students, schools struggle to fill teaching vacancies.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 24, 2025
5 min read
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2023.
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. Rising costs and staff shortages are squeezing school nutrition programs.
Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
School & District Management 3 Big Challenges School Lunch Programs Face as They Feed Students
School nutrition directors report problems with costs, supply shortages, and staffing.
Evie Blad, January 14, 2025
4 min read
A female leader attracts people with a magnet.
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Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says What 4 New Studies Say About How Districts Can Attract—and Retain—Teachers
New insights on teachers' starting salaries, working conditions, and contract work can help leaders better hire and retain teachers.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 10, 2025
5 min read
Illustration of college graduate getting ready to climb steps with the word “debt” written on it.
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Teaching Profession Opinion Student Loan Debt Is an Overlooked Crisis in Teacher Education
If we want to make the teaching profession a more attractive career pathway, we need to do something about debt.
Jeff Strohl, Catherine Morris & Artem Gulish, December 5, 2024
4 min read
Conceptual image of drawing new graduates to the teaching workforce.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Teacher Preparation Then & Now Why We Still Haven't Solved Teacher Shortages (Despite Decades of Trying)
The teacher-shortage discourse has a long history—and no perfect solutions.
Evie Blad, October 31, 2024
6 min read
Illustration on teacher staffing vacancies with spotlight on empty workspace in classroom.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Recruitment & Retention Schools Have Fewer Teacher Vacancies This Year. But Hiring Is Still Not Easy
Schools struggled less to fill teaching positions in the 2024-25 school year, but they still started the year with vacant teaching spots.
Libby Stanford, October 17, 2024
3 min read