Staff Shortages

Education news, analysis, and opinion about challenges associated with having unfilled school or district staff positions
Students in Sofia Alvarez-Briglie's class test the design of their experiments during class on Nov. 13, 2023.
Students in Sofia Alvarez-Briglie's class at Alcott Middle School in Norman, Okla., test the design of their science experiments on Nov. 13, 2023. Oklahoma has experienced a dramatic decline in teacher-prep enrollments, and teachers there say pay and politics have affected the profession's desirability.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching What One Record-Setting Teacher Shortage Can Tell Us About the Profession
Oklahoma struggles mightily with the widespread perception that teaching is a low-wage, high-stress, low-respect profession.
Madeline Will, March 6, 2024
13 min read
A female teacher bends over an elementary school boy's desk to help him with the slide on his microscope.
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Teaching Profession What the Research Says How to Refresh a Dwindling Pipeline of STEM Teachers? Researchers Share Strategies
The pool of science teachers is getting younger and less prepared than it once was.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 13, 2024
5 min read
Conceptual image in blue: puzzle-shaped 100 American dollar banknote and red-colored question mark symbol.
Liz Yap from Education Week via iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance 4 Financial Headaches Schools May Not Be Able to Avoid This Year
Hiring challenges, new and potentially expensive state laws, and intensive audits are on the horizon.
Mark Lieberman, February 6, 2024
6 min read
Recruitment & Retention Video How Workplace Culture Can Affect Staffing Shortages
A recruiter and a teacher share possible solutions to ongoing teaching shortages in schools.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 30, 2024
2 min read
Illustration of an empty office chair with a sign on the back that reads "Vacant"
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Q&A What Will Teacher Shortages Look Like in 2024 and Beyond? A Researcher Weighs In
Tuan Nguyen has been collecting teacher-vacancy data for years now. He shares what he's learned so far and his forecast for future turnover.
Madeline Will, December 21, 2023
6 min read
Monterey High's Tyvonte' Cornish (94) tackles Odessa High's Ivan Miranda (13) by a shirt tail in the fourth quarter. Odessa High School played Monterey High at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas, on Aug. 30, 2019.
Monterey High School student Tyvonte' Cornish, left, tackles Ivan Miranda, of Odessa High School, in Odessa, Texas, on Aug. 30, 2019.
Mark Rogers/Odessa American via AP
Recruitment & Retention Athletic Trainers Are Often Missing From the Sidelines in School Sports
Advocates say athletic trainers are in short supply, despite efforts to require schools to keep them on hand.
Elizabeth Heubeck, November 30, 2023
5 min read
Third grade teacher John Watkins works in his classroom at Grove Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla.
Third grade teacher John Watkins works in his classroom at Grove Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla. Oklahoma is struggling to train enough teachers in its preparation programs—and keep them in classrooms.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
Recruitment & Retention This State Is Giving New Teachers Up to $20K to Stay on the Job. But There’s a Catch
Oklahoma's scholarship program is designed to keep fully trained teachers on the job longer.
Madeline Will, November 30, 2023
8 min read
Collaged photo illustration of Black men teachers and positive role models
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Recruitment & Retention Opinion 3 Solutions for the Black Male Teacher Shortage
I was well out of college before my mentor persuaded me to become a teacher. Here’s how we can start reaching Black men earlier.
Sharif El-Mekki, November 7, 2023
5 min read
Shelley Ward
Shelley Ward, a teacher-librarian at the Charleston County’s Belle Hall Elementary School, assists a student. While teaching, she earned her master’s level school librarian certification through the district’s "grow-your-own" partnership with the University of South Carolina.
Photo courtesy of the Charleston County School District
Recruitment & Retention How This District Boosted Its Ranks of School Librarians—From Within
A South Carolina district partnered with a local university to grow its own teacher-librarians and fill vacancies.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 18, 2023
5 min read
Illustration of man and african american woman using binoculars and sitting on a search bar from internet.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says The New School Staffing Landscape, in Charts
Administrators say they're having an easier time filling some vacancies this year, but challenges remain.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 17, 2023
2 min read
Randal Lutz, superintendent of Baldwin-Whitehall school district near Pittsburgh and a soon-to-be certified school bus driver, climbs aboard a bus prior to dismissal.
Randal Lutz, superintendent of Baldwin-Whitehall School District in Pittsburgh and soon-to-be certified school bus driver, climbs aboard a bus prior to dismissal.
Photo courtesy of Randal Lutz
School & District Management Why This Superintendent Is Taking the School Bus Driver Shortage Into His Own Hands
This school leader is hoping to reverse his district's shortage of bus drivers, by becoming one.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 12, 2023
5 min read
Newspaper with ads for vacancy School teacher.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Teacher Preparation Q&A Solving the Mismatch Between Teaching Programs’ Supply and What Districts Need
A new tool could help teaching programs better align candidates' specialties with local districts' vacancies.
Madeline Will, September 28, 2023
6 min read
Hispanic schoolteacher reading aloud to her young students
E+ / Getty
English-Language Learners Building Pathways for Bilingual Teachers: Ideas From 3 States
State and local leaders say flexibility, partnerships, and thinking outside the box are key to developing a bilingual teacher workforce.
Ileana Najarro, September 27, 2023
7 min read
Spanish teacher Titi Martin-Borregon teaches fourth grade Spanish/English dual language class students at the New Mexico International School in Albuquerque, N.M., on May 23, 2022.
Spanish teacher Titi Martin-Borregon teaches 4th grade Spanish/English dual language class students at the New Mexico International School in Albuquerque, N.M., on May 23, 2022.
Cedar Attanasio/AP
English-Language Learners Recruiting More Bilingual Teachers: The Challenges and Solutions
A new report highlights why more bilingual teachers are needed and how to build such a pipeline.
Ileana Najarro, September 19, 2023
5 min read