Teacher shortages have worsened over the past decade, and fewer people are going into teaching careers. Districts around the country, flush with federal relief dollars to hire more educators, are struggling to find candidates.
Eight newsrooms joined together to explore how the gaps are affecting families and children, and to find solutions.
PROOF POINTS: When schools experimented with $10,000 pay hikes for teachers in hard-to-staff areas, the results were surprising
Special ed vacancies rose in Hawaii, while low-performing schools in Dallas experienced ups and downs
Schools can’t afford to lose any more Black male educators
Only about 7 percent of America’s public school teachers were Black, according to the most recent data, while Black children make up 15 percent of the student population
In one giant classroom, four teachers manage 135 kids – and love it
Schools in Mesa, Arizona, piloted a team teaching model to combat declining enrollment and teacher shortages; now the approach is spreading
English language teachers are scarce. One Alabama town is trying to change that
The Russellville school district is using federal pandemic funds to train and certify new English language teachers for its growing student population of Spanish speakers, and encouraging the state to invest too
Uncertified teachers filling holes in schools across the South
Patchwork approach could leave children with unprepared educators
To fight teacher shortages, some states are looking to community colleges to train a new generation of educators
In Washington and a handful of other states, would-be teachers can now earn their degrees from community colleges, part of an effort to help diversify the profession
Teacher shortages are real, but not for the reason you heard
There’s little evidence of a mass exodus of teachers, but school districts flush with federal money are struggling to hire in a tight labor market