National Update to School Staffing Shortages

A recent EdWeek article reported that the majority of campus principals surveyed are still struggling to fill vacancies.

The ongoing Pulse survey, conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics, found 60 percent of principals reported difficulties filling nonteaching positions and 48 percent reported difficulties hiring teachers. More than six in 10 school leaders indicated the biggest challenge was finding enough candidates, much less fully qualified candidates.

The top five teaching roles identified as most difficult to staff include:

• Special education
• General elementary
• ESL or bilingual education
• Mathematics
• Career or technical education

The top five nonteaching positions identified as most difficult to staff include:

• Transportation staff
• Custodial staff
• Mental health professionals
• Academic interventionists
• Tutors

Despite the remaining vacancies, there were some positions identified as easier to fill than was originally expected based on results from the last survey conducted in June 2022. Principals reported that hiring for English/language arts, math, and special education teachers was less difficult this fall than they had expected it to be at the beginning of the summer.

The two most in-demand teaching areas identified were special education and math. Experts attribute the special education shortage to special education teachers leaving these classrooms at higher rates than traditional classroom teachers, while the STEM shortage is due to a shortage in teachers with these certifications.

For more information on the topic, check out the EdWeek article, "What School Staffing Shortages Look Like Now."