A talented educator workforce is an essential foundation for improving educational outcomes for students. As such, securing teachers at all levels of the educator pipeline (recruitment, preparation, and retention) is necessary for student success. Unfortunately, the United States educator workforce is experiencing shortages of crisis-level proportions, and these shortages have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted a scan to explore the innovative programs, policies, and practices that state education agencies and other education entities are using to mitigate educator staffing challenges. The report highlights common and promising practices used to address educator shortages and examples of these practices being implemented by a state or one of its local districts. It also examines how key states are tackling educator shortages specifically in the context of COVID-19. A state-by-state crosswalk of efforts to recognize, address, and mitigate educator shortages highlights overall themes and state strategies, organized by region. Used collectively with workforce data and local context considerations, the strategies and resources can help Colorado and other state education stakeholders develop comprehensive approaches to addressing educator shortages.
