States with the worst teacher shortages in the US | Teach Away (2023)

FAQs

States with the worst teacher shortages in the US | Teach Away? ›

Georgia had the highest number of vacancies (3,112) for the 2019-2020 school year. More recently, during the 2021-2022 school year, Florida had the most vacancies with 3,911 positions unfulfilled. That same school year, Mississippi and Alabama had over 3,000 vacancies.

Georgia had the highest number of vacancies (3,112) for the 2019-2020 school year. More recently, during the 2021-2022 school year, Florida had the most vacancies with 3,911 positions unfulfilled. That same school year, Mississippi and Alabama had over 3,000 vacancies.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year, Rhode Island has the largest teacher shortages in the following subjects: English as a second language, career and technical education, math, science, special education, health and physical fitness, world languages and language arts.

As of October 2022, after the school year had already begun, 45% of U.S. public schools had at least one teacher vacancy. That's according to limited federal data. For several months, NPR has been exploring the forces at work behind these local teacher shortages.

Beyond the nine states facing highest vacancy rates, another 19 have modest shortages, between 0 and 12 vacant positions per 10,000 students.

The average salary for teachers was $49,583 in Florida—the second lowest in the country after Mississippi. All other occupations averaged $51,950, a 4.6 percent difference. In Colorado, teachers earn on average $60,611, about 3 percent less than the $62,900 of other occupations.

For starters, shortages are occurring because of increased demand on public schools. As of fall 2017, 50.7 million students were attending public elementary and secondary schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2025, that number is expected to expand to 51.4 million.

Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand. Qualified math teachers should be able to teach in multiple areas, including algebra, calculus, and trigonometry.

Where does Florida rank in teacher shortages? ›

The NEA estimates Florida will continue to rank 48th for the 2021-2022 school year. It was ranked 47th when Gov.

In the current academic year, the Florida Education Association (FEA) reported that there are 5,294 teacher vacancies and 4,631 support staff openings posted across school district websites statewide. “Nearly 10,000 total vacancies in Florida's public schools.

Since the 2011-12 school year, about 10% of teachers in Texas have left the field each year. That number dipped to about 9% during the 2020-21 school year but is going back up — rising to almost 12% during the 2021-22 school year.

Why are there shortages of teachers? Myriad reasons: low pay and morale, mounting political and academic pressures, health and safety concerns.

Here are just a few of the longstanding problems plaguing American education: a generalized decline in literacy; the faltering international performance of American students; an inability to recruit enough qualified college graduates into the teaching profession; a lack of trained and able substitutes to fill teacher ...

That's a turnover rate of 14%, up from between 11% and 12% in a typical pre-pandemic year. There was variation among the eight states. Mississippi's teacher workforce was the most stable: Turnover was 13% this year, only slightly higher than the two years before the pandemic.

Teacher shortages lead to missed or insufficient learning opportunities. There may be a discontinuity in the delivery of instruction, and key concepts may be overlooked altogether. These occurrences limit the educational opportunities that students can and should receive.

IN NEW YORK, THE TEACHER SHORTAGE WAS ALREADY AN ISSUE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. REPORTS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHOW THAT ENROLLMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS HAS DECLINED BY ABOUT 50% SINCE 2009. ALSO MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF NEW YORK'S TEACHERS WILL SOON BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.

Who is the highest paid teacher in the world? ›

Luxembourg. According to an OECD report, Luxembourg (a European country) has the highest-paid teachers in the world. Another source indicates that a bachelor's degree holder is entitled to an initial salary of €67,000 (US $70,323.20) per annum at the start of their teaching career.

New York held the No. 1 position partly due to its high rankings in teacher salaries and public-school spending per student — achieving No. 1 in each category. Utah, which carried the second highest ranking in the opportunity category, held the second spot overall behind New York.

Employment of high school teachers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 77,900 openings for high school teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

Interest in the teaching profession among high school seniors and college freshmen has fallen 50 percent since the 1990s and the number of new entrants into the profession has fallen by roughly one third over the last decade. Teachers' job satisfaction, they found, is at the lowest level in five decades.

Calculus. There are a number of math courses or sub-sciences of math that probably deserve some recognition here. Calculus heads the group though as one of the toughest to teach and also learn.

New York leads the nation in teacher pay with an average salary of $80,286, according to WalletHub.

Are Florida teachers underpaid? ›

TAMPA, Fla.

It says Florida is 48th in the country for average teacher pay, with teachers making about $51,230. The minimum living wage, it says, is $49,625. Florida ranks better when it comes to average starting salaries for teachers at 15th in the nation at about $45,337.

A previous education funding boost in 2022 increased base pay for teachers to a minimum of $47,500, but even that has been difficult to attain, Velardi said.

U.S. number of teachers and educational staff quitting the profession 2020-2023. In April 2023, about 59,000 teachers and other educational staff quit their jobs in the United States.

Governor DeSantis also announced that he will approve more than $1 billion for teacher pay in this year's budget, a $252 million increase over the current record. Overall, Florida has invested more than $3.3 billion for teacher salary increases and bonuses over the last five years.

As part of its more extensive study 2023's Best (& Worst) States for Teachers, data analysts at Scholaroo set out to find the states that offer the best work benefits for their teachers. Based on the analysis of 5 key categories – the rankings showed that Florida is #50 in the nation.

Teachers name low pay, excessive workload, increased duties, and workplace culture as some of the reasons they are leaving. Leading into the 2022-23 school year, some districts reported hundreds of openings for teachers just weeks and days before the school year started.

After 10 years, 59% of those teachers had left the profession.

What this report finds: The pandemic exacerbated a preexisting and long-standing shortage of teachers. The shortage is particularly acute for certain subject areas and in some geographic locations. It is especially severe in schools with high shares of students of color or students from low-income families.

Is there a teacher shortage in Colorado? ›

According to a recent survey, the Colorado Education Association found 85% of educators felt the teacher shortage is worse than they've ever seen. DENVER — A new bill headed to the Senate floor could help the teacher shortage Colorado has faced over the last few years.

82 percent of Georgia schools are short on teachers according to the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Meanwhile, 20 percent want to leave the profession within the next five years.

Beyond compensation, these educators also feel overworked and undervalued. Nearly 75 percent of respondents who cite expectations as a top reason they plan to leave say they have too much work to do each day and that there aren't enough teachers to carry the workload.

This data also suggests that spiking stress levels, student behavior challenges, and a harsh political spotlight have all taken their toll on many American teachers.

The pandemic and shifting political landscape have left teachers feeling overworked and undervalued. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions.

Illinois has the lowest number of underqualified teachers at 1.17 positions per 10,000 students while New Hampshire has the highest at 348.79. Notably, New Hampshire has not reported teacher shortage areas to the U.S. Department of Education since the 2019-2020 school year, according to the report.

Multiple indicators point toward an educator shortage crisis that has been brewing for more than a decade, since the end of the Great Recession in 2009.

Hence the answer is no. Answer explanation: Paragraph C says that “On the administrative side, most teachers are weighed down by an increasing flow of bureaucracy. Cynicism would have me believe that this stops teachers from fomenting dissent as they are worn out by useless administrative exercises.

Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand.

What grade / level do teachers get paid the most? The highest earners are typically high school level teachers, and the lowest paid are preschool teachers.

Which teacher salary is highest? ›

$252+ million increase for the teacher salary increase categorical, which will stand at more than $1 billion for school year 2023–2024. Additionally, the Governor will sign: $10 million for the Heroes in the Classroom Bonus Program (HB 1035).

Nearly 90 percent said that better pay is the biggest factor in teacher retention. That is followed by better staffing and more manageable workloads; reducing class sizes; and stronger discipline policies and more student support programs, which included access to counselors and mental health professionals.

The findings show that while many teachers find their work rewarding, a majority said they felt exhausted and stressed — with burnout cited as the top reason for leaving the profession.

It's a "crisis" in many districts. Others have more success filling positions. More than three-quarters of U.S. states are experiencing a teacher shortage, highlighting a growing concern among public education and government officials about issues that were exacerbated during three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employment of high school teachers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 77,900 openings for high school teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

There will always be a need for great teachers. Regardless of temporary economic conditions, hiring practices, budget cuts or any other factors that impact the education system, the need for teachers is timeless and universal.