Topic: Teacher Workforce Policy
Teacher Workforce Policy
State Policies to Elevate the Profession and Address Shortages
The most important thing schools can do for students’ education is ensure they have good teachers. States need a strong teacher workforce to increase student learning and to build a stronger economy. SREB helps state leaders address teacher shortages and improve policies that affect teachers across their careers — including recruiting, supporting and retaining great teachers.
A Comprehensive Approach to Teacher Workforce Policy
Click on an area below to explore publications, resources, data and more.
These four elements support teachers at every stage of their careers — from candidates and early career teachers, to professional teachers and teacher leaders.
SREB’s Educator Workforce Initiative
SREB is committed to improving the educator workforce as one of its top priorities through the end of the decade. A cross-collaborative team of staff are working on this initiative and have developed the following to lead their work over the next five years.
Vision
Every child deserves a great teacher. Educator shortages hurt our students, exhaust our educators & drain our economy. To sustain our economy, we must have enough quality teachers and school leaders to fully prepare the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and workers.
SREB is a leader in solving the complex issue of building and maintaining a first-rate educator workforce.
SREB strives to support policy and practice leaders in states, P-20 and postsecondary education to comprehensively improve the educator profession through the following priority goals:
- Make teaching more attractive
- Enhance educator pathways and preparation
- Cultivate strong educator support programs
- Modernize the teaching profession and educator workday
To address teacher shortages, elevate the profession, and fuel the economy, a key first step is unpacking the data.
A Blueprint to Solve Teacher Shortages
For School and District Leaders
The solution to teacher recruitment, quality and retention requires a comprehensive, long-term approach and reliable data. This report offers a framework for district planning and action, covering policy and practice for pathways and preparation, licensure and advancement, professional support and mentorship, and compensation and working conditions.
Teacher Career Pathways and Advancement Options
We need more high-quality pathways to ensure a skilled teacher workforce so that all students have prepared, certified teachers in every class. This report reviews the data on teacher shortages and quality and shows the four main pathways into the profession. It details the essential elements of quality teacher career pathways and offers examples to look toward from states around the nation.
Perspectives
Read SREB's Teacher Workforce Blog
From shortages to solutions, find thoughtful articles about policies and data that affect educators, written by SREB staff and guest authors.
The latest: Generation Z Isn’t Interested in Teaching − Why Not? by SREB’s Sheniqua Pierce.
Teacher Labor Market Trends
Insights From Two Southern States
Teacher shortages, high turnover rates and declining interest in the teaching profession have proven difficult for policymakers to address. These concerns are even more dire in Southern states.
Partnering with researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education, SREB studied data in Kentucky and Tennessee on teacher labor market trends over the last decade. This online report features seven findings with interactive charts.
The Next Generation of Teachers
A Study of Generation Z’s Interest in the Teaching Profession
We depend on Generation Z to fill the growing number of teaching vacancies. Partnering with researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education, SREB studied data in Kentucky and Tennessee for insight into Gen Z and their interest in the teaching profession. This online report features six findings with interactive charts.
