Schools and districts know how many teachers they have in which grades and subject areas and how many teachers they need. Too often, they face a shortage of applicants for qualified positions. Without a clear state-level understanding of where shortages exist and whether our teacher pipeline can meet future demands, policymakers-including legislators and departments of education alike-are left scrambling for solutions in the dark.
In our efforts to solve educator shortages, we will talk with Dr. Katie Jenner (Secretary of Education, Indiana), Dr. Lisa Coons (Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia), Dr. Dan Goldhaber (Director and Vice President, CALDER) and Shannon Holston (Chief of Policy & Programs, NCTQ) on why educator workforce data is important; how supply and demand data helps with recruitment and retention decisions; and how we can improve the data we already have.