Research found there has been a staffing shortage for some time, but it has gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic. A state-by-state analysis of teacher job openings may provide a more...

According to a 2022 report by the U.S. Department of Education, 41 states and D.C. are facing shortages in at least one subject area or grade level. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the teacher shortage situation—necessitating immediate action to address the growing crisis in the education sector.

Nearly 9 in 10 schools struggle to hire qualified educators. A whopping 86% of districts had trouble filling their open positions for the 2023-24 school year. Special ed, science, and foreign language positions are the most likely to go unfilled, and in high-poverty areas, the numbers are even worse. Source: USA Today.

As of last fall, K-12 teachers in the U.S. earned an average $68,000 annually. That’s 8% less than the average wage for all workers in the country, according to the ADP analysis. That gap...

Goal: Eliminate the educator shortage for every school by ensuring that schools are appropriately staffed, paying educators competitively, and strengthening pathways into the profession. Read our Policy Brief on Eliminating Educator Shortages through Increasing Educator Diversity and Addressing High-need Shortage Areas.