Staff Shortages

Education news, analysis, and opinion about challenges associated with having unfilled school or district staff positions
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of an elementary school's Dual Language Program in August 2023.
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of Crestwood Elementary School's Dual Language Program in August 2023 in Tampa, Fla. Due to silos in the teaching profession, English learners with disabilities may miss out on language services such as dual language programs in favor of special education programming.
Douglas R. Clifford/Zuma Press/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
English Learners How Schools Are Failing English Learners With Disabilities
An EdWeek Research Center survey found gaps in trained staff for dually identified students.
Ileana Najarro, July 24, 2026
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4 min read
A look at the state of teaching with English learner students in Antioch, Tenn.
A teacher works with English learner students at Mt. View Elementary School in Antioch, Tenn., on Dec. 3, 2025. A new survey by the EdWeek Research Center shows that schools continue to struggle to find qualified teachers to work with the population.
William DeShazer for Education Week
English Learners From Our Research Center How Schools Are Navigating the English-Learner Teacher Shortage
EdWeek Research Center survey data found schools continue to struggle staffing for English learners.
Ileana Najarro, July 23, 2026
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4 min read
A blue silhouetted woman standing away from monochrome crowd. Conceptual design. Societal pressures and personal identity. Concept of psychology, loneliness in society, difference.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Recruitment & Retention Opinion We're Talking About Teacher Shortages the Wrong Way
Oversimplifying our K-12 staffing challenges makes them harder to solve.
Meagan Booth, July 22, 2026
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4 min read
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Recruitment & Retention Whitepaper How Virtual Instruction Is Solving Rural Staffing Shortages and Expanding Access for Every Student
Fullmind's whitepaper, Learning Has No Address, argues that the teacher shortage in rural America isn't a pipeline problem — it's an acc....
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Teacher Greg Burris works with 1st grader Joshua at Munger Elementary-Middle School on May 7, 2026, in Detroit. Data show that there are too few male early educators, and when boys don’t see male teachers, they may be less likely to consider a career in teaching, perpetuating the cycle of too few male teachers.
Paul Sancya via AP
Early Childhood Q&A The Unspoken Reason Men Turn Away From Careers as Early Educators
Calvin Moore Jr. gets honest about why so few men are early-childhood teachers and how to fix it.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 3, 2026
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4 min read
Audrey Deitz, a school bus driver since 2003 and for Windham Northeast Supervisory Union since 2017, makes sure everything is operating properly in Westminster, Vt., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, as she gets ready for the upcoming school year.
A school bus driver in Westminster, Vt., makes sure everything is operating properly on Aug. 22, 2025, as she gets ready for the upcoming school year. School districts across the country continue to struggle with bus driver shortages, and many educators say they have to take time away from their core duties to help out with transportation.
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management Schools Hope They Can Replenish Their Bus Driver Ranks This Summer
Without enough drivers, other educators often fill gaps. A new survey shows how often.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 27, 2026
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5 min read
A look at the state of teaching with English learner students in Antioch, Tenn.
English-language teacher Tameka Marshall leads a lesson dissecting a speech at John F. Kennedy Middle School on Dec. 3, 2025, in Antioch, Tenn. A national survey found that, while English-learner teachers are viewed as primarily responsible for these students, they are not always included in schoolwide instructional decisions.
William DeShazer for Education Week
English Learners From Our Research Center How Schools Serve English Learners Today, in Charts
New national survey data sheds light on where schools can improve English learners' instruction.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, April 23, 2026
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4 min read
English Language Teacher Olga Dietz, middle, talks with Glenda McKinney, another English Language Teacher, in between classes at Mt.View Elementary School in Antioch, Tenn.
English-learner teacher Olga Dietz, middle, talks with Glenda McKinney, another EL teacher, in between classes at Mt. View Elementary School in Antioch, Tenn., on Dec. 3, 2025. Across the country districts are increasingly in need of these teachers with specialized skills for helping students learning English as the national EL population continues to grow.
William DeShazer for Education Week
English Learners 'They're Our Kids’: How Teaching English Learners Is Changing
As the national English-learner population continues to grow, the role of EL teachers is evolving.
Ileana Najarro, March 4, 2026
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12 min read
Illustration of luggage, airline tickets and visa document.
iStock
Recruitment & Retention Opinion What Trump's $100,000 Visa Fee Could Mean for Schools
An expert on teacher migration explains the possible consequences for international teachers.
Lora Bartlett, January 22, 2026
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5 min read
Omar Muñoz teaches high school student Caden Wang, 15, during a class on semiconductor manufacturing at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2025.
Omar Muñoz teaches high school student Caden Wang, 15, during a class on semiconductor manufacturing at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2025. Districts across the country are looking for people like Muñoz, who has three decades of industry experience, to teach their CTE courses.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention How This District Works to Attract and Retain Hard-to-Find CTE Instructors
CTE instructors are difficult to hire and retain. This district uses external connections and internal resources to support its program.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 7, 2026
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6 min read
President Ford at work in the Oval Office on Jan. 27, 1976.
President Gerald Ford, pictured in the Oval Office on Jan. 27, 1976, signed into law the predecessor to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975.
Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum
Special Education 50 Years of IDEA: 4 Things to Know About the Landmark Special Education Law
The nation's primary special education law details schools' obligations to students with disabilities.
Evie Blad, December 19, 2025
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5 min read
Two teachers having conversation in office.
iStock
Recruitment & Retention Inside One State's Bold Plan to Keep Special Education Teachers
Pennsylvania's training and mentoring program works to retain teachers serving students with disabilities.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 19, 2025
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6 min read
Human icon print screen on wooden cube block with space for Human Resource Management and Recruitment hiring concept.
Dilok Klaisataporn/iStock/Getty
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
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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
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3 min read