Is There Really a Teacher Shortage?

Abstract

Contemporary educational thought holds that one of the pivotal causes of inadequate school performance is the inability of schools to adequately staff classrooms with qualified teachers. It is widely believed that schools are plagued by shortages of teachers, primarily due to recent increases in teacher retirements and student enrollments. This report summarizes a series of analyses that have investigated the possibility that there are other factors-tied to the organizational characteristics and conditions of schools-that are behind school staffing problems. The data utilized in this investigation are from the Schools and Staffing Survey and its supplement, the Teacher Followup Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. These data indicate that school staffing problems are not primarily due to teacher shortages, in the sense of an insufficient supply of qualified teachers. Rather, the data indicate that school staffing problems are primarily due to a "revolving door"-where large numbers of qualified teachers depart their jobs for reasons other than retirement. The data show that the amount of turnover accounted for by retirement is relatively minor when compared to that associated with other factors, such as teacher job dissatisfaction and teachers pursuing other jobs. This report concludes that teacher recruitment programs-traditionally dominant in the policy realm-will not solve the staffing problems of such schools if they do not also address the organizational sources of low teacher retention.

An examination of individual teacher engagement and school climate characteristics that influence highly effective veteran teachers to remain teaching in low-performing schools.

“…This issue is compounded by the 41 percent of new teachers who typically leave teaching within the first five years (Perda, 2013). Teacher attrition is reliably 50 percent higher in lowperforming schools when compared to affluent schools (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003;Ingersoll, 2001Ingersoll, , 2003. Researchers described this high rate as a particularly alarming situation (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003;Ingersoll, 2001Ingersoll, , 2003.…”

“…This number exceeds the national population of other professionals such as nurses, lawyers, and professors (Ingersoll, 2003). The size of the teaching population coupled with the number of teachers exiting the profession has created a "revolving door" effect (Ingersoll, 2001).…”

“…The size of the teaching population coupled with the number of teachers exiting the profession has created a "revolving door" effect (Ingersoll, 2001). Teachers leave the teaching profession for several reasons other than retirement (Ingersoll 2001(Ingersoll , 2003. Some research concluded that the working conditions in schools predicted teachers' decisions to remain or leave teaching (Boyd et al, 2011).…”

“…The schools mostly affected by high teacher attrition are often low-performing, urban schools that serve poor, minority students (Alliance for Excellence, 2014;Boyd, Langford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2005;Clotfelter et al, 2004;Lee & Orfield, 2006). Over 41 percent of teachers hired to teach in these schools are beginning teachers who leave within three to five years of beginning their careers (Ingersoll, 2001(Ingersoll, , 2003Perda, 2013). Veteran teachers often leave to teach in more affluent schools that serve higher-performing students (Alliance for Excellence, 2014;Rivkin et al, 2005).…”

“…Although the rate of teacher turnover is comparable to that of police officers it is higher than the turnover rate in other highly regarded professions such as nursing, law, architecture, engineering, and academia (Ingersoll & Perda, 2012). While adequate numbers of teachers are being produced and hired, an even larger number vacate the profession every year for reasons other than retirement (Ingersoll, 2001(Ingersoll, , 2003.…”