Staff Shortages

Education news, analysis, and opinion about challenges associated with having unfilled school or district staff positions
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
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5 min read
Close up of a medical chart in an unrecognizable female doctor's hands as she listens to an unrecognizable young adult woman sitting on nurse's table.
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School & District Management What School Nurses Do and Why Schools Need More of Them
The job entails more than handing out Band-Aids, advocates say—especially so this time of year.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 6, 2023
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4 min read
Illustration of man and african american woman using binoculars and sitting on a search bar from internet.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Staff Shortages in Schools Are Here to Stay. Here's Why
School districts are still struggling to hire qualified candidates in special education, transportation, and STEM.
Mark Lieberman, August 18, 2023
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6 min read
Photograph of a school bus driving down a road surrounded by fall foliage
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School & District Management The 'Amazon Effect' Is Fueling Bus Driver Shortages. How Schools Keep the Wheels Turning
Delivery jobs have attracted some would-be bus drivers away from schools, making it more difficult to transport students.
Evie Blad, August 16, 2023
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5 min read
student entering empty classroom with no teacher
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Recruitment & Retention 5 Ways Districts Are Filling Teacher Vacancies
Hiring international teachers, bringing teachers out of retirement, and using virtual learning are some of districts' solutions.
Madeline Will, August 15, 2023
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7 min read
A line of yellow buses passes through a parking lot.
Jefferson County Public Schools school buses makes their way through the Detrick Bus Compound on the first day of school on Aug. 9, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky’s largest school system called off six days of school after a disastrous overhaul of the transportation system that left some children on buses until almost 10 p.m. on opening day.
Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal via AP
School & District Management A District's Bus 'Disaster' Highlights a Nationwide Driver Shortage
A transportation meltdown caused a district to cancel six days of classes as schools nationwide struggle to hire enough bus drivers.
Evie Blad, August 15, 2023
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5 min read
Students at Wayzata High School in Minnesota serve meals to their peers on June 6, 2023, as part of a program the school started that employs students to offset staffing shortages.
Students at Wayzata High School in Minnesota serve meals to their peers on June 6, 2023, as part of a program the school started that employs students to offset staffing shortages.
Courtesy of Tyler Shepard
Recruitment & Retention Q&A This High School Couldn't Fill Key Jobs, So It Turned to Students
Schools have struggled to fill key support staff jobs since reopening from pandemic shutdowns. This high school recruited its students.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 28, 2023
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8 min read
Conceptual: child and tutor with focus on tutor
Liz Yap/Education Week/iStock/Getty
Student Achievement A New Bill Would Pay Student-Teachers to Work as Tutors
The bill is part of a major push for tutoring as an academic recovery strategy as the extent of students' academic slide becomes clear.
Libby Stanford, July 20, 2023
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5 min read
Photo of teacher working with students.
E+ / Getty
Teaching Profession Teachers' Skills Took a Hit During the Pandemic, Too, Report Says
A new report attributes students' slow academic recovery in part to teachers' ineffective instruction.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 19, 2023
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5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion 'School Leaders Have 99 Problems, But NAEP Scores Ain't One'
Schools might want their students to perform at high levels, but there are more pressing and basic needs that must be addressed first.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 27, 2023
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7 min read
School nurses Heidi Bakke, left, and Molly Cavey walk a student to their office while working at Wilson Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2019, in Janesville, Wis.
School nurses walk a student to their office at Wilson Elementary in Janesville, Wis., back in 2019. Since then, the pressures on school health workers have mounted, prompting some to consider quitting their jobs.
Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center 'It’s So Overwhelming': Demands on School Health Workers Are Making Them Want to Quit
A new national survey sheds light on the working conditions of school nurses, school psychologists, and other health workers.
Madeline Will, June 13, 2023
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8 min read
Recruitment & Retention Spotlight Spotlight on Teacher Shortages
This Spotlight will help you uncover what principals look for when hiring teachers, how a supportive culture can help retention, and more.
June 1, 2023
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on April 25, 2017.
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on April 25, 2017.
Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages
Recruitment & Retention How These State and District Leaders Are Solving Teacher Shortages
Three experts share the benefits and drawbacks of the strategies they've tried out.
Madeline Will, May 30, 2023
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5 min read
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023. McNeeley, director of the Atlanta based Pure Hope Project, hosts the daily program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023.
Alex Slitz/AP
School & District Management The Key Challenges After-School Programs Are Facing, in Charts
After-school programs are a key academic recovery strategy for districts, but they can't enroll all the students who need them.
Caitlynn Peetz & Laura Baker, May 17, 2023
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5 min read
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