ASSIG: Upload ENTIRE Annotated Bibliography following APA 7th edition guidelines and WCU Houston's Example to Canvas. Please follow the WCU Houston's Example I have already did the 25 annotated bib
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Comparing the Factors and Impact of Teacher Shortages in Urban and Rural Schools
Part I
Crook, R. W. (2022). A quantitative study of the impact of four-day school weeks on teacher retention in rural public school districts (Order No. 29069384). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2659234301). Retrieved from https://wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/quantitative-study-impact-four-day-school-weeks/docview/2659234301/se-2
Crook’s quantitative research work is concerned with the relationship between teacher induction programs and the retention rate of teachers in urban school districts. The study, based on a sample of 1,200 teachers from five states, uses statistical analysis to show that teachers involved in organized induction programs have a 25% higher chance of staying in their jobs after three years than those who have no support. It is pointed out by the authors that the main reasons for the phenomena are the mentoring and constant professional development. At the same time, it is mentioned in the research report that the programs of induction that lack administrative support usually do not have enough results. This is an indispensable source of support for my study, as it offers firsthand research data indicating that the introduction of effective programs is the best way to achieve, which I will use for the development of a policy induction essay. In addition to that, points about the leadership role that will be further analyzed have been raised.
Jacob, B. A. (2007). The challenges of staffing urban schools with effective teachers. Future of Children, 17(1), 129–153. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1353/foc.2007.0005
This is an essential reference because it draws attention to the ongoing challenges within the urban school setting. The urban schools have a challenge of finding qualified instructors. In addition, it defines effectiveness as a quantifiable factor for students. It provides an important context for the challenge of staffing in urban schools. Jacob’s article has the tone of something that is rigorous but mostly closely held, including statistics, while also acknowledging teacher burnout, neighborhood pressure, and ripple effects on student outcomes. The framing of “effectiveness” as quantifiable helps to create written metrics, but classroom culture and neighborhood dynamics are not necessarily measurable. Policy solutions tend to concentrate on recruitment without also considering what is required for retention; hiring a teacher is only step one of the solution when ongoing mentoring, manageable workloads, and local leadership commitment are necessary to sustain staffing progress. This resource, in the context of the analysis in this paper, provides evidence of systemic challenges to hiring and calls for additional examination of retention strategies, support systems, and leadership necessary to ensure staffing reform will be effective.
Mitchell, J. A. (2021). The impact of principal leadership styles on teacher retention (Order No. 28413278). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2639220706). Retrieved from https://wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/impact-principal-leadership-styles-on-teacher/docview/2639220706/se-2 Through his research, Mitchell gets us to understand how different leadership styles of principals shape the retention of teachers in urban schools. Based on ground interviews with 30 teachers and 10 principals, the article brings out that transformational leadership is the most vital factor in the establishment of a supportive school culture that is the basis for teacher commitment. On the contrary, authoritarian leadership styles have been found to be associated with high rates of turnover. The study highlights the support emotionally and professionally given by the principal to the teacher as very important. Definitely, this research directs me to the relationship between principal leadership and teacher retention, which is a major subtheme in my study and thus help me build my research further. His argument, therefore, offers me an antagonistic perspective to those solely focusing on the role of induction programs, presenting leadership as another critical factor for discussion.
Nguyen, A. (2024). Teacher recruitment and retention: Factors affecting teacher shortages (Order No. 31637842). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3129913026). Retrieved from https://wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/teacher-recruitment-retention-factors-affecting/docview/3129913026/se-2 This article analyzes the unique difficulties of teacher recruitment and retention in rural school districts, such as geographic isolation, scarcity of resources, and the lack of professional development opportunities. The authors in their mixed-methods study combined survey data from 500 rural teachers with case studies of successful retention programs. Their research proved that retention is greatly supported by targeted recruitment strategies, including grow-your-own programs and mentorship. But the article also exposes the insufficiency of funds that support rural initiatives as the main obstacle in these kinds of areas. This article is considered essential for research as it directly relates to the retention in the rural context of Mississippi, which is a similar place where the rural schools are the majority. Not only, it give practical strategies that can be reviewed in terms of their implementation possibility, but it also helps with the funding issues that might affect ideas about the scalability of the solutions.
Santiago II, N. M., Santos, T., & Santiago-Centeno, A. K. (2022). Factors affecting teachers’ turnover: Basis for a proposed retention program. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business & Education Research, 3(9), 1791–1797. Retrieved from, https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.11594/ijmaber.03.09.18
Santiago portrays the main message from 50 different teacher retention studies by setting working conditions, administrative support, and professional growth opportunities as the main reasons for teacher retention. The researchers suggest that support systems, such as the induction program and the existence of a supportive leader, are of great importance in lessening turnover. Nevertheless, Santiago argues that several external factors, for example, salary and how society perceives teachers, may impact the issue of turnover but are less manageable by the schools. This is one of the earliest sources of my research that cannot be missed out as it gives an overview of the factors that determine retention, which helps to position my research within the existing literature on the topic. Apart from that, by pinpointing the role of external factors, the article challenges my exclusive concentration on the school-based interventions, which will be useful in future completion review of the literature to facilitate the unbiasedness of the study.
Part 2
Ingersoll, R. M., & Tran, H. (2023). Teacher shortages and turnover in rural schools in the us: An organizational analysis. Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(2), 396–431. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0013161X231159922
This resource is essential because it examined and explained why the lack of teachers in rural schools is more of a structural issue, as it is connected to support, retention, and working conditions. These are identified in the same light as improvement plans are offered, but discussed within an organizational research approach. The book also reaffirms the importance of research initiatives in developing long-term plans to aid rural school students in navigating some of the challenges they experience.
Ng, J. C. (2003). Teacher shortages in urban schools. Education & Urban Society, 35(4), 380. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0013124503255453
The focus of this resource is purely on the push and pull factors that lead to a shortage of teachers within the rural school setting. In this context, problems such as excessive turnover or uneven distribution of seasoned educators are identified, amongst other problems. It draws comparisons between rural and urban issues and demonstrates the need to have community-tailored research approaches to reach students.
Qian, H., Youngs, P., Hu, S., & Prawat, X. J. (2020). Will china’s free teacher education policy address teacher shortages in rural schools or reproduce existing inequality? Compare: A Journal of Comparative & International Education, 50(5), 713–725. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/03057925.2018.1559037
China’s free teacher education is examined as a means of addressing the evident teacher shortages, defining “teacher shortages” as a problem that involves quality and distribution. The resources also explored the possibility that trying to solve the injustices could worsen the situation. In this view, the resource offers a sobering counterargument that demonstrates not all research-based approaches are beneficial to students or will benefit the students equally.
Polat, N., Wiseman, D., & Imig, D. (2025). Professionalising teaching and combating teacher shortages: the case of the state of maryland. Journal of Education for Teaching, 1–17. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/02607476.2025.2537904
According to Polat et al., the authors' efforts in Maryland steered towards addressing the teacher shortage. There are improvement plans explained that relate to teachers’ standing, education, and working conditions. These authors strongly favored evidence-based policy initiatives that improve teaching. It also demonstrates how enhanced teacher stability and capability can help research-driven innovation help the students.
Rhinesmith, E., Anglum, J. C., Park, A., & Burrola, A. (2023). Recruiting and retaining teachers in rural schools: A systematic review of the literature. Peabody Journal of Education (0161956X), 98(4), 347–363. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/0161956X.2023.2238491
The journal summarized research based on hiring and retention of teachers in rural school settings while creating a conceptual historical background of concurrent activities. The authors encouraged possible remedies for the teacher shortage, such as career growth, mentoring, and involving the community. This is directly connected to research results with the workable program for schools and community transformation.
Part 3
Liu, E., Rosenstein, J. G., Swan, A. E., & Khalil, D. (2008). When districts encounter teacher shortages: The challenges of recruiting and retaining mathematics teachers in urban districts. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 7(3), 296–323.
Liu et al. (2008) remark that the challenge of attracting and retaining talented math teachers has been a persistent issue in urban school districts. The problem of math staffing shortages turns out to be quite complicated, judging by the research conducted among administrators in six cities in the northeast based on thirty interviews. Administrators, time after time, talked of a tight labor market and high demand, low supply, and great competition among partaking applicants. The policy restrictions, recruitment practices, and procedures by the districts, and also the way in which the perception of an able urban teacher varied, all contributed to the point. Administrators lamented the low numbers of applicants, some districts receiving two or three applications per vacancy, and middle school vacancies were being especially difficult to fill. The retirements, the rise in enrollment, and changes in policy drove demand, and retention differed in each district; some districts distinguished between overall turnover and the loss of teachers they most wished to retain. The study has strengths in that it is qualitatively rich with the first-hand worldviews of administrators and the hidden trade-offs districts experience in staffing. It also frames literature-based findings on teacher labor markets, compensation, and working conditions to emphasize the local context (shortages). There are limitations, including regional focus, a relatively small sample, use of the accounts by administrators, which may not be sufficient to reflect classroom realities and perceptions of teachers.
This article contributed to understanding subject-specific shortages because it is dedicated to the subject of mathematics, which is often listed as high-need. It can provide concrete data on how the shortages may be felt at the district level, as it not only presents the system-level imbalances between supply and demand, but also the organizational barriers to effective recruitment and retention of my project. It served as a third step to complete bigger national studies, adding a more focused perspective on problems and approaches to challenges in districts, which also supports the idea that the consideration of challenges as depending on labor market trends and local organizational circumstances should be provided.
Oyen, K., & Schweinle, A. (2020). Addressing teacher shortages in rural america: What factors encourage teachers to consider teaching in rural settings? Rural Educator, 41(3), 12–25.
Oyen and Schweinle (2020) examined the variables that influence the intent of teacher candidates to teach in rural schools, where the shortages tend to be the most critical. The authors discussed demographic, educational, and attitudinal predictors of rural teaching intention based on the results of the survey involving over 9, 000 applicants to 14 Midwestern institutions. They find that a rural background significantly increases the probability that a candidate will contemplate a rural placement and that place-based identity is important. Undergraduates and white students also expressed more interest than their colleagues did. Besides demographics, one more determining factor in candidate decisions was found to be belief in teaching 21st-century capabilities and belief in administrative, peer, and community support. The study concludes that the methods of recruiting must extend further than financial incentive to include certain guidance and training as well.
One of the strongest points of the article is a large and varied dataset, giving the article good statistical validity and geographical coverage. Upon comparing data with various institutions, the authors find that there are certain trends that can be utilized in policy and teacher education. The research however, has restricted its applicability due to the Midwest setting because rural settings elsewhere might not be similar in terms of demographics, culture or policy circumstances. In addition, as it relies on survey data, it quantifies attitudes but not the real experiences of rural teachers.
The article is quite important in terms of the issue of shortage of teachers due to its emphasis on the peculiarities of the situation in rural districts and the recommendations that may be provided on the basis of evidence. Its results endorse the initiation of grow your own programs that seek to attract candidates of rural background to teaching. In my project, it struck a balance between urban shortage research views, providing a rural one to prove that teacher shortages are not universal. Lastly, Oyen and Schweinle (2020) state that the development of solutions should be motivated by the local demographic and institutional realities.
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2019). Understanding teacher shortages: An analysis of teacher supply and demand in the united states. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(35).
Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, and Carver-Thomas (2019) gave a national picture of supply and demand of teachers in the US, putting historical shortages in context and projecting into the future. They project a shortage of 112,000 teachers by 2017-18, using national data up to 2016, and more than 109,000 teachers without certification are already in the classroom. Among the subjects reported to have particularly grim shortages, the authors mention mathematics, science, special education, and English learner education, but note that shortages diffuse among states, districts, and subjects. Notably, they characterized shortages as a mismatch between the supply of qualified teachers willing to teach in current circumstances and employment opportunities, highlighting how attrition, a reduction in enrollment in teacher-preparation courses, and the movement to hard-to-staff subjects contribute to these situations.
The scope and evidence base are the main strengths of the article. It offers tough, data-intensive information based on national analyses of shortages in contrast to media accounts that either overstate or understate shortages. Its historical view has shown that shortages are not a recent occurrence but have become rampant in recent decades as a result of structural decreases in supply as well as an increase in demand. In addition, the authors propose a definition of shortage that may assist policymakers to trace the difference between local and systemic problems. Rather, it has limitations such as depending on projections, which can change depending on economic or policy situational factors, and a lower focus on the lived experience of teachers teaching in under-resourced schools.
It also proves very useful in investigating the problem of teacher shortages in the following sense: the forces of the national labor market are localized to local realities. It gives a valuable critical grounding within the extent and endurance of the deficiencies within the U.S. and helps in devising specific remedies, notwithstanding enhancing their preparation pipelines, servicing plans, and drive to high-need topic regions.
Wilson, A., & Pearson, R. (1993). The problem of teacher shortages. Education Economics, 1(1), 69–75. https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09645299300000009
Wilson and Pearson (1993) examined the situation of teacher shortages in England and Wales in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with particular attention to numerical shortages and hidden shortages which were the result of teachers being outside their areas of qualification. Based on Department for Education vacancy records and labor market statistics, they demonstrated that shortages were most severe in 1990 when the vacancy rate was 1.8 percent, which was especially high in primary schools, in Greater London, and in some secondary subjects, especially mathematics, sciences, and languages. Among their most dramatic discoveries is that by 1988, as much as 20 percent of secondary teaching was done by teachers who had no subject knowledge, a situation that skewed the official vacancy data. Furthermore, the authors indicate that over 350,000 qualified teachers were out of action during the period, many said they were willing to re-enter the profession provided they were offered more flexible work arrangements.
A positive aspect of the article is the strict implementation of the national data that is backed by the clear statistical comparison and the regional disaggregation. The emphasis on the idea of hidden and suppressed shortages broadens the discussion and gives a more coherent picture of staffing. The research study, however, is restricted in its historical value as the findings are based on the premise of the labor market scenario in the early 1990s. Even the fact that it can be used internationally is a failing of it since it is based in the UK, and even that definition of a shortage is somewhat of a guess when applied in most environments.
Despite these weaknesses, the article is a valuable historical resource mark of the issue of teachers as a part of the labor market. The consequences of its perception of those lacks based on subjects, the geographical variations, and the possibility of re-employment of those lazy teachers are preempt on the discussion at hand. It is used in my project as a complement to more recent work within the U.S. in accomplishing the realization that those shortages are not an isolated and new phenomenon, but a systemic one, which is recurrent. It also emphasizes the gist of acknowledging the unseen shortfalls in data interpretation regarding staffing and policy response generation.
Von Feigenblatt, O. (2022). The perfect storm structural and contextual factors exacerbating the Teacher Shortage in Florida. Hallazgos, 20(39). https://doi-org.wmcarey.idm.oclc.org/10.15332/2422409X.8102
Von Feigenblatt (2023) presented a qualitative case study of the teacher shortage in Florida and places the problem of teacher shortage in the context of structural and contextual factors in the U. S. K-12 education system. The analysis conducted in the study employs grounded theory and a constant comparative approach to examine official statements by school districts, the State of Florida Department of Education, and professional associations. This practice illuminates the interplay of circumstances of structure, policy options, and socio-economic contexts that lead to such shortages. The author proposes a model that could be used initially to trace the relationship between strategy and the structure of the organization, as well as the forces beyond the organization that could improve rather than mitigate recruitment and retention problems.
This research is very robust in the sense that it contextualized the research with a theoretical perspective and utilizes grounded theory to derive the meaning of policy and organizational communications. The article assisted in shedding light on the dynamics of failure of regional policy and structure in cooperation with greater socio-economic trends by using the example of the state of Florida, which has been perceived as a model of national trends in education. Its structural and contextual drivers go deeper than the normal statistics of vacancies, to reveal behind-the-scenes organizational and political forces. A limitation of the perspective is its reliance on official statements and lack of quantitative measurement, so the inferences of the perspective itself are of an interpretive nature, and not empirically generalizable.
The complexity of teacher gaps initiatives is of particular interest to the article. It supplements empirical studies by providing a conceptual framework through which the shortages can be described, as to why shortages remain even when policies change repeatedly. In my study, it referred to the importance of paying attention to the supply and demand of teachers as well as the political and organizational decisions that determine the labor market. By this, it underlines that it is important that solutions do not revolve around the tally of working individuals, but rather systemic and contextual circumstances.
Part 4
Guha, R., Hyler, M. E., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). The teacher residency: A practical path to recruitment and retention. American Educator, 41(1), 31–34.
This article by Guha, Hyler, and Darling-Hammond described teacher residency programs as a new way to prepare teachers while also keeping them in the classroom longer. I liked how they compared residencies to medical training; teachers spend an entire year learning side by side with a mentor before leading their own class. The authors made the case that this hands-on experience builds confidence and helps reduce turnover. They also point out that these programs attract people who might not have considered teaching otherwise, especially when the residency offers financial support. The authors gave examples of successful residencies in different states, showing how they help schools facing shortages in math, science, and special education. The article proved that mentorship and real-world practice matter more than quick certification routes. It identified how important it is to balance theory with experience when training teachers. The piece felt hopeful and realistic at the same time, suggesting that residencies could be one of the best solutions for long-term teacher retention.
Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. F., & Rivkin, S. G. (2004). Why Public Schools Lose Teachers. Journal of Human Resources, 39(2), 326–354.
Hanushek, Kain, and Rivkin provided one of the most detailed studies on why teachers leave public schools, and their findings are both surprising and troubling. Using data from Texas, they discovered that teacher turnover is influenced less by pay and more by student demographics and school conditions. Schools with high numbers of low-performing or economically disadvantaged students lose teachers at much higher rates. When pay was comparable, many teachers still transferred to schools with fewer challenges. The authors suggested that teachers are often seeking a better work environment, not just a bigger paycheck. They also argue that leadership support, manageable class sizes, and safe working conditions could help retain teachers in struggling districts. The authors displayed how turnover isn’t only about teachers being dissatisfied, but it’s also about structural inequities that make some schools harder to work in than others. The authors identified how improving retention will take more than money; it will take real investment in making schools healthier and fairer for both students and staff.
Katnik, P. (2023). A supported workforce is a strong workforce. Learning Professional, 44(1), 22–25.
Katnik’s article demonstrated how much professional support affects teacher motivation. He writes about Missouri’s teacher shortage and what the state has been doing to keep educators in the classroom. Missouri invested around $55 million into mentoring programs, “grow-your-own” initiatives, and professional learning opportunities. Katnik explained that teachers often leave not only because of low pay but also because they feel isolated or undervalued. Many professions lose people when support and recognition are missing. The author viewed professional learning as more than just training; it’s a way to show teachers that they matter. The article described how ongoing learning and mentoring help teachers build confidence and reduce burnout. The authors also mentioned how policies that encourage collaboration and teacher leadership strengthen school communities. The article stated how administrators can actually reverse the shortage trend. Katnik’s tone encouraged and focused on investing in teachers’ growth, feels practical and realistic.
Murnane, R. J., & Jennifer L. Steele. (2007). What Is the Problem? The Challenge of Providing Effective Teachers for All Children. The Future of Children, 17(1), 15–43.
Murnane and Steele’s article deeply analyzed the teacher shortage problem in America. The authors explained that it’s not simply about having too few teachers—it’s about where those teachers are placed and how qualified they are. Poorer and minority schools often get the least experienced teachers, while better-off districts hold on to the most skilled ones. The authors made an important connection between changes in the economy and this imbalance. The authors showed that as women and minorities gained access to more career paths, teaching lost much of its appeal, especially when the pay stayed low. The authors touched on ideas like merit pay, teacher testing, and alternative certification, pointing out that each of these has both benefits and drawbacks. The authors focused on fairness; they make it clear that until every child, regardless of background, has a well-prepared teacher, the education system can’t truly claim to be equal. The authors argued a mix of economic reasoning and human concern. It helped to see that this isn’t just an education issue, it’s also a social and moral one.
Tai, R. H., Liu, C. Q., & Fan, X. (2007). Factors Influencing Retention of Mathematics and Science Teachers in Secondary Schools--A Study Based on SASS/TFS. Science Educator, 16(2), 27–32.
In this research article, Tai, Liu, and Fan explored what keeps math and science teachers in the classroom and what drives them away. The authors based their work on national survey data, which backs the conclusions with real evidence. The authors showed that while pay and experience are important, what really affects teacher decisions are working conditions, especially administrative support and school culture. For example, teachers who feel appreciated and have a voice in their school are far more likely to stay. The authors also discuss how rural schools often struggle the most because of professional isolation and limited resources. What made the article valuable was how it goes beyond numbers and connects the data to everyday realities teachers face. The authors’ findings suggest that mentoring programs and a sense of community matter just as much as salary. The articles suggest how balanced the analysis was it didn’t just blame teachers or administrators but looked at how the whole system contributes to the problem. This study gave a better understanding of the complexity behind teacher turnover, especially in STEM fields where shortages can most harm student learning.
Part 5
Bates, M. D., Dinerstein, M., Johnston, A. C., Sorkin, I., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2022). Teacher labor market equilibrium and student achievement. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w29728
Bates et al. presented and approximated an equilibrium model of the teacher labor market in the U.S. in this working paper, incorporating the specifics of teacher applications, vacancies in schools, principal ratings, and student achievement. The researchers concerned themselves with the interaction between the preference of teachers over schools (other than wages) and the practices of principals in making such decisions to produce the current staffing results (particularly in the situation of reallocation of teachers across schools). The authors concluded that substantial increases in student achievement can be achieved through redistributing teachers to schools with greater impact potential, though crucially, implementing such increases would not be possible in lack of directly affecting the teacher preferences of less-desirable schools (through bonuses or incentives) instead of merely changing the practice of hiring principals. The researchers warned against policies that modify only one side of this 2-sided matching market (teachers or schools) and can have some unintended side effects (Bates et al., 2022). The article is very pertinent to a multidisciplinary research agenda; it is a matching problem in labor economics (matching markets), an educational policy problem (teacher allocation), and also an ethical issue (equity in high-quality teacher access). Studies of teacher-workforce relationships can provide a complex analytical tool of the connection between the teacher supply, distribution, and placement in schools, and their impact on student performance. This study can be relied upon to substantiate debates regarding how mere augmentation of the teachers may not suffice - distribution, tastes, and adjacency mechanisms are important as well.
Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2019). The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worse than we thought: The first report in “the perfect storm in the teacher labor market” series. Economic Policy Institute.
https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-shortage-is-real-large-and-growing-and-worse-than-we-thought-the-first-report-in-the-perfect-storm-in-the-teacher-labor-market-series
García and Weiss demonstrated that with the inclusion of measures of teacher credentials (certification, preparation of relevant subjects, number of years of experience), the problem of teacher shortage is much more drastic than most predicted. In particular, the researchers stated that a significant number of those who are reported to work as teachers fail the standards of credentials of fully qualified teachers, indicating that disproportional numbers of vacancies in the staff of fully qualified teachers are large. The authors reported the fact that staffing issues are concentrated in high-poverty schools, which are subject to both wider gaps and higher turnover. The researchers also placed the shortage in the large framework of teacher pay being relatively low compared to other college-educated professionals, working conditions being harsh (particularly in low-income schools) as well as distributional inequities (experienced, certified teachers have a lower probability of employment in a high-need school). The report concludes that due to the non-responsiveness of teacher labor markets (incidence of salary schedules, union contracts, limited mobility, etc.), the typical indicators of scarcity (e.g. the increase in wages) do not always show up, making the issue less transparent. The authors concluded policy suggestions that are aimed at enhancing working conditions, raising the salary, giving incentives to high-need schools, and building teacher pipelines (García & Weiss, 2019). Relevance: This report further makes the case on the shortage because it focuses the argument on the quality of supply of teaching, as opposed to the quantity of supply. This article can be handy in demonstrating how the credentialing, fair allocation, and retention dynamics intersect, something rather important in terms of how to enhance the profession and not merely increase numbers.
Merrill, E., & Ingersoll, R. (2011). The status of teaching as a profession. Scholarly Commons. - http://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/221
Ingersoll and Tran argued a very developed review of the literature on the state of the teaching profession to include the tendencies in the supply and demand of teachers, teachers’ turnover, and the role of professional status (e.g., pay, autonomy, working conditions) on the workforce. The researchers recorded that the teaching field has been experiencing a high level of turnover, such as the rates of new teachers dropping out within five years, and that these trends are particularly noticeable in low-achieving schools and working conditions. Though the list of factors discussed in the review is rather extensive, they do not omit the situation when the qualifications of the teachers do not correspond to the level of responsibilities assigned to them (e.g., working with many classes, managing multiple roles, etc.), the demands on these teachers (e.g., dealing with behavioral problems), and the sort of professional support they get in response. The author’s synthesis postulated that to attract and keep high-quality teachers in the long term, the profession has to be improved (by way of better remuneration, induction /mentoring, increased autonomy, and conducive conditions) (Ingersoll & Tran, 2018). Relevance: This paper meshed well with your multidisciplinary interests since it connects the labour-market influences (turnover, supply issues) to professional values (how we think of teaching) and the policy changes (induction, mentoring) and social justice (teacher distribution, school quality). It serves as an in-between text in your portfolio or literature review as a linking item between empirical supply-demand studies and normative views on the topic of professionalism and ethical obligation in teaching.
Martin, Linda & Mulvihill, Thalia. (2016). Voices in education: Teacher shortage: Myth or reality?. The Teacher Educator. 51. 175-184. 10.1080/08878730.2016.1177427.
In this article, Martin and Mulvihill entered into a reflective discussion with an editorial board of the journal Teacher Educator as to whether the teacher shortage in U.S. K-12 schools, as currently-reported, is a reality or a myth created to justify the numerous instances of teacher non-performance in many applications. The researchers asked three guiding questions, namely, (1) Is a teacher shortage truly coming up? (2) (In the event that it is so), is it generalized or limited to certain groups of people (e.g., by race/ethnicity, subject area, geographic region)? and (3), What is being sustained by the notion of a shortage? The authors not only perform a literature survey of available overlapping evidence - declining enrollment in teacher-preparation programs, higher attrition, inability to staff hard-to-teach and hard-to-teach-in communities, etc., but also critique the simplified narratives of teacher shortage by highlighting the lack of simplicity in measurement (trespassing enrollment in some communities) and definitions (e.g., qualified means different things). The authors emphasized situational issues like problems with recruiting teachers to rural schools (lack of geographic and housing accessibility, salary) and the combination of salary, working conditions, and professional status. Martin and Mulvihill are therefore warning that, although there can certainly be real instances of supply-and-demand interactions, labeling the problem as a national monster of a lack of teachers is likely to misrepresent the more realistic dynamics of the teacher staffing picture. Relevance: This article has a virtue in that it positions the teacher-shortage discussion within a skeptical perspective, such that the reader (either education researchers or policymakers) may explore deeper whether there is supply or distribution, qualification or retention to consider as the root of the problem. In an academic project about teacher workforce problems, the article provides a meta-viewpoint that can be used to enhance empirical reports to create a more advanced argumentation concerning the possibility of policy, data definition, and regional-level gap building labor-market discourses.
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., and Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). Coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the u.s. (research brief). Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.
This is a detailed report that employed various data sources on the national scale (data on federal sources about teacher preparation, attrition, enrollment, pupil teacher ratios, and student population projections) to create a model that estimates the supply side of the new teacher population and the demand side of the new teacher population in the United States. The authors visualized four primary sources of looming teacher shortage, which include (1) a decrease in admission numbers in teacher preparation programs, (2) a wish to re-establish pre-period pupil/teacher ratios in districts, (3) expected increase in student population (~3 million more students within the next decade), and (4) high turnover of teachers (estimated to be about 8% per annum), which is also a distributor of the annual demand. The report estimated a teacher demand of approximately 260,000 hires annually in 2014 and may go up to approximately 300,000 hires per year in 201718. On the supply side, their allocation projected the available new educators in 2016 between 180,000-212,000, pointing to a declining gap. The researchers also presented evidence that there are not equal shortages, but they are most acute in special education, STEM, education of bilingual/English learners, and schools with low wages and weak working conditions. Such policies, leveraged as better compensation, recruited to high-need fields/locations, increased retention (especially in hard-to-staff schools), and the establishment of a national teacher-supply market are mentioned (Sutcher et al., 2016). Relevance: The given study offered empirical support to the assertions about the shortage of teachers; therefore, it became the central source of any research or policy studies concerning the issue of teacher staffing. To your education workforce dynamics (or cross-country) study, this report provided the quantitative modelling of imbalances in supply and demand, as well as the policy implications therein. This is a solid piece of evidence in favor of shortage concerns that you can use in your annotated bibliography or literature review.
