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U.S. Department of Education

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# Raise the Bar Policy Brief:

# Raise the Bar Policy Brief:

                                    -        Eliminating Educator Shortages through Increased Compensation, High-Quality and Affordable Educator Preparation and Teacher Leadership
July 2023

A robust, well-prepared, and sustainable educator workforce  is essential to teaching and supporting our children and youth, including their  recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet many states and school  districts face significant hurdles in attracting and retaining the educators and  other school staff they need to best support students. These staffing  challenges disproportionately impact Black and Latino students and schools with  large populations of these students, students with disabilities, and English learners.1 Through Raise  the Bar: Lead the World, the U.S. Department  of Education (Department) is working in partnership with states and school  districts to eliminate educator shortages in our nation’s schools. 

  Research  continually shows that teachers are the most important in-school factor for  student success. Yet today’s teacher shortage has been years in the making, and  the pandemic made things worse—especially for underserved schools and  districts. Raise the Bar: Lead the World employs a research-based strategy  to improve and address the teacher shortage, including steps to recruit and  retain high-quality teachers through **A**gency, **B**etter  Working Conditions, and **C**ompetitive Salaries.

  Teachers are experts in the science of  learning, and state and local leaders play a large role in ensuring that  educators’ voices inform policies and are woven into how schools  work. Teachers must have agency and empowerment to make decisions that are right  for their students, working in partnership with families. A core driver to  retaining teachers in the profession relates to improving the working  conditions in their schools and classrooms. This not only means stronger school  infrastructure, but also sufficient planning time to learn collaboratively with  their peers, strong induction, career ladders, and great professional learning.  Competitive salaries are also essential to retaining great teachers. On  average, teachers earn 24 percent less than other college graduates.2 As of 2021-2022, 35  states start their teachers with a salary less than $45,000. Sixteen states had  starting salaries below $40,0003.

  Building on these ABCs, the Department is advancing and has  called on state and local leaders to utilize five  key policy levers to Raise the Bar and eliminate educator shortages:  increase compensation, expand access to high-quality and affordable educator preparation  programs, promote career advancement and leadership opportunities for educators,  provide high-quality new teacher induction and job-embedded professional  learning throughout educators’ careers, and increase educator diversity. This policy  brief outlines recent Department efforts to support the first three of these  strategies. It highlights progress made since U.S. Secretary of Education  Miguel Cardona called on  states last year to take key actions to address shortages, shares new data  on the recovery of education jobs by state, and notes states’ progress  implementing key strategies to address shortages, including increasing  compensation, increasing enrollment in educator preparation programs, and, in collaboration  with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), expanding Registered Apprenticeship  Programs for K-12 teachers. 

  The Department will issue an additional brief later this year  on its work to increase the diversity of our educator workforce and to address  particularly high-need shortages areas, including bilingual education, special  education, and career and technical education. This work is woven throughout  the Department’s initiatives to address educator shortages. 
Returning to and Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Staffing Levels 
From February to May 2020, communities lost 730,000 local  public education jobs due to the pandemic—a 9 percent decline in local public  education employment—including teachers, specialized instructional support  personnel, and other critical staff. As of June 2023, local public education  employment has increased by 635,000 jobs since its low point in May 2020. 

***As a  result, there are now only 1.2 percent fewer individuals working in local  public education than before the pandemic.***

  This is good news. However, there are still 95,000 fewer public  education employees supporting our students compared to pre-pandemic levels, and  recovery of these jobs has varied significantly from state to state. 4

  The pandemic’s impact specifically on the number of public  school teachers lagged the decline in total staffing, as has job recovery. In  May 2020, there were only 88,400 fewer teachers compared to pre-pandemic  levels, but by February 2022, the number of teachers had dropped by 283,000, or  7.3 percent, relative to pre-pandemic staffing levels. While the recovery of  teachers has been slower than the return in local public education employment  levels, there has been significant progress here as well. As of May 2023,  relative to the February 2022 low point, there are 198,300 more teachers. As a  result, there are now only 2.2 percent fewer teachers relative to pre-pandemic  staffing levels.5 This  however does not mean that all new teachers added are fully certified or  teaching in their certification area. Ensuring all students have access to a  high-quality, fully certified teacher must continue to be a priority for all  states.

  According to data from the October 2022 School Pulse Panel survey,  vacancies disproportionately impact schools in high-poverty neighborhoods and schools  with a higher percentage of students of color. Specifically, the School Pulse  Panel data finds that a larger percentage  of public schools in high-poverty neighborhoods had at least one teaching  vacancy (57 percent) compared to public schools in low-poverty neighborhoods  (41 percent). A larger percentage of public schools  with a high proportion of students of color (greater than 75 percent) had at least one teaching  vacancy (60 percent) compared to schools with a low proportion of students of  color (25 percent or less students of color; 32 percent, respectively).6  

  The map below reflects the progress of each state in  returning to pre-pandemic staffing levels in local public education employment,  displaying the percent change in total local public education jobs in each  state relative to pre-pandemic staffing levels in that state. The map focuses  on total local public education staffing for several reasons. First, the  ability of schools to address the needs of students – whether academic, health,  nutrition, transportation, or other needs – requires sufficient staffing in all  roles. As a result, the Department focuses on all local public education jobs  in its work to support recovery. Second, data limitations prevent the timely analysis  of staffing levels at the state level for teachers. Analyzing the recovery of  all local public education jobs allows the Department to see how recovery has  varied across states. 

  A positive number on the map below indicates that local  education employment exceeds its pre-pandemic level in that state, while a negative  number reflects how depleted local education employment is relative to the  pre-pandemic period. For example, local government education employment in Kentucky  is down 3.5 percent as compared to pre-pandemic, while local government  education employment in Texas is 2.9 percent below pre-pandemic levels. All  calculations are adjusted for changes in the population of children ages 5 to  17 in the state in the same time period.7 This map shows the significant variations across the country in the recovery of  these critical roles. 

**Fig. 1: Progress Toward Returning to Pre-Pandemic Staffing Levels**			(download data as a spreadsheet)

  The recovery and stabilization of local public education  jobs has been supported by the $122 billion in American Rescue Plan Elementary  and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds and previous rounds of  relief funding. According to one independent analysis of districts’ plans for  using ARP ESSER funds, 60 percent of districts’ plans include funding for  staffing, and include investments of roughly $30 billion towards this need, or  27 percent of the ARP ESSER funds awarded to districts.8

  While it is critical that schools return to pre-pandemic  staffing levels, states, districts, and schools should work to surpass them. The  pandemic exacerbated pre-existing shortages – schools were short an estimated  100,000 teachers before the pandemic – and as a result, returning to  pre-pandemic staffing levels is not sufficient to ensure that schools can  address the needs of students.9 The Department is working not only to return to pre-pandemic staffing levels  but also to ensure all students have access to the educators, specialized  instructional support personnel, and other school staff they need to meet their  academic, social, and emotional needs, including their mental health and  well-being. Schools are already exceeding pre-pandemic staffing levels in  certain roles. For example, compared with the pre-pandemic period, as of June  2023, the number of school social workers is up 39 percent, and the number  of school nurses is up 26 percent.10 Continued investments of ARP ESSER funds and the $1 billion in Bipartisan Safer  Communities Act (BSCA) funds dedicated to strengthening the pipeline and  increasing the number of school-based mental health services providers are  designed to further increase the number of these staff in the months and years  ahead.11
Compensation 
Increasing teacher compensation is critical to effectively  recruiting and retaining the teachers that schools need. One of the most common  reasons educators cite for leaving their jobs is insufficient pay, along with  stress. Seventy percent of school leaders agree increased salaries would improve  teacher retention.12 Teachers earn 24 percent less than comparable college graduates, a pay gap that  has grown over time. From 1996 to 2021, weekly wages for public school  teachers, adjusted for inflation, increased by $29, in comparison to an  increase of $445 in similar professions requiring a college education.13 This pay disparity is even more pronounced for career and technical education (CTE)  and science, technology, engineering and math, including computer science  (STEM/CS) teachers, where jobs outside of education often pay substantially  more. As a result, pursuing careers outside of education is increasingly more  lucrative, both for current educators and those considering entering the  profession. President Biden has consistently called on states and districts to  increase teacher pay, both to ensure teachers are treated with dignity and  respect and as a critical measure for addressing educator shortages. Amplifying  this call, last year, Secretary Cardona called on every state to increase teacher compensation as a key lever for addressing  shortages. 

  The below map highlights average teacher starting salaries  and top salaries, according to district salary schedules, as well as average  teacher pay overall in each state, as of the 2021-2022 school year. The salary  levels included in the map only reflect salaries at the time of data collection  and do not include planned changes not yet fully implemented (such as salary  increases phased in over multiple years) or take into account variation in the  cost-of-living from state to state. The map highlights with a star the states  that have taken action at the state level to increase teacher salaries since  and inclusive of 2021-2022.

***Since 2021-2022, 29 states and the District of Columbia have taken concrete steps at the state or system level to increase compensation.***

  This is significant progress and does not include broader  efforts by school districts to increase teacher compensation. While the stars  in the map below highlight action at the state level to increase compensation,  some states do not set teacher salaries, leaving all decisions related to  compensation to the local level. As a result, even widespread increases in  compensation at the district level in such states (increasing average teacher  salaries) would not result in a star. The Department encourages Governors, state  legislators, members of boards of education, superintendents, and leaders at  all levels to work together and think creatively about how they can support  school districts in increasing compensation, consistent with collective  bargaining rights, so that educators are paid competitively and students have the  high-quality educators they need and deserve. 

**Fig.2: Teacher Compensation by State, 2021-2022**(download data as a spreadsheet)

  Please note that  there are 3 views of this dashboard. Click the link below to view and filter.

  Link: Teacher  Compensation 2021-2022 Tableau Dashboard

  In addition to increasing base salaries, many states and  districts are increasing wages by offering hiring and retention bonuses,  including by using ARP ESSER funds, which can be a high-leverage strategy for  addressing shortages in the short term. However, permanent base salary  increases are the most direct way to address the underlying and long-term  compensation challenges the profession faces.
High-Quality and Affordable Educator Preparation
To expand high-quality and affordable educator preparation, the  Department; DOL; states; districts; and elementary, secondary, and higher  education leaders and experts are continuing to come together to increase the  number of teacher candidates prepared to enter the classroom. 

***Despite  declines in previous years, annual total enrollment in educator preparation  programs increased  by 7 percent from 2018-19 to 2020-2021, an increase of more than 41,000 enrollees.***

  However, these changes in enrollment have varied widely by  state and type of program. The chart below shows changes in enrollment over  time by state and for enrollment in traditional educator preparation programs,  alternative programs based at an institution of higher education, and  alternative programs not based at an institution of higher education. Traditional  teacher preparation programs are usually bachelor’s or master’s degree programs  at institutions of higher education that students complete prior to becoming  the teacher of record.14 Alternative teacher preparation programs primarily serve candidates that are  the teacher of record in a classroom while participating in the route.15 The size of any change in enrollment should be considered in the context of  individual states’ educator shortages. States with greater pre- and  post-pandemic shortages will have greater needs to increase educator  preparation program enrollment than states with less significant shortages. As  they work to increase enrollment in educator preparation programs, states are  encouraged to focus on high-quality programs that include robust clinical  experience before teaching candidates become the teacher of record. 

**Fig. 3: Educator Preparation Program Enrollment, Acedemic Year 2018-2019 to 2020-2021**(download data as a spreadsheet)

  In order to continue increasing the pipeline of teachers  entering the profession, the Department is working to reduce and eliminate  barriers to becoming a teacher while upholding and improving quality. These  efforts include broadening the pool of individuals eligible to become a teacher  by expanding access to affordable pathways into the profession. When deciding  whether to pursue teaching as a career, prospective teaching candidates consider  the required preparation program costs, current income, and expected future  earnings. Too many prospective teachers decide that limited future earnings as  a teacher make the costs of becoming a teacher not worth the investment,  compared to other career options with lower barriers to entry and higher pay.  Improving affordability is particularly important for attracting and retaining  diverse educators, as students of color are more likely to incur higher debt  during their studies.16 To address these barriers, the Department is working to directly reduce the  ultimate out-of-pocket cost of preparation programs and supporting the creation  of more affordable and high-quality options. These efforts are designed to “change  the math” and encourage more individuals to become teachers.

Expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 Teachers

  The Department has partnered with DOL and leading education  organizations to advance high-quality and affordable teacher preparation  through the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship for K-12 teachers.  Registered Apprenticeship can be an effective, high-quality “earn and learn”  model that allows candidates to earn their teaching credential while earning a  salary by combining coursework with structured, paid on-the-job learning  experiences with a mentor teacher, combined with coursework. Registered Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers can be used to establish, scale, and build on existing high-quality pathways into teaching that emphasize classroom-based experience, such as grow your own and teacher residency programs. By reducing  the cost of earning a license and offering flexible scheduling, Registered  Apprenticeship Programs are designed to open the doors to the profession to  those who may otherwise face barriers, including people of color and  individuals such as paraprofessionals who may already have decades of  experience in the classroom, but previously could not afford to become a  teacher. Once registered with DOL or their state apprenticeship agency  (requirements vary by state), these programs can access federal workforce  funding, like Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Carl D. Perkins  Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) funding, in addition to other  federal, state, and local education and workforce funds, bringing additional  resources to help address educator shortages. 

  Last August, Secretary Cardona and then-Labor Secretary Marty  Walsh issued a joint Dear  Colleague Letter calling on all states to establish Registered  Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers in order to help eliminate educator  shortages and outlined how states and other interested parties can learn more  about this model. In addition, key partners, including representatives of the Council of Chief State School Officers  (CCSSO), the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), the  National Education Association (NEA), and the American Federation of Teachers  (AFT), joined  both Secretaries and the First Lady at the White House to announce that  they would also work to support the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship Programs for  K-12 teachers. Since then, these organizations have engaged with their  membership to share resources from both Departments and spread awareness of the  opportunity Registered Apprenticeship provides for expanding high-quality and  affordable teacher preparation, while advancing teacher diversity. 

***At the start of 2022, just two states had Registered  Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers. Today, teacher apprenticeship programs  have been approved in 21 states.***

  The map  below highlights the states with these innovative programs.17 This map does not include additional states  that have announced plans to create an apprenticeship, or who are piloting  similar programs, but which do not yet have a Registered Apprenticeship Program  for K-12 teachers.18

**Fig. 4: Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 Teachers, 2023**(download data as a spreadsheet)

As a result of efforts by the  Department; DOL; and state, district, higher education and non-profit leaders in  recent months, this growth is expected to continue in the years ahead. On July 27,  DOL announced the approval of the first National Guidelines for Apprenticeship  Standards (NGS) for  Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers. The NGS provide a quality  framework for states creating a Registered Apprenticeship Program for K-12  teachers. The guidelines were drafted by the Pathways Alliance, a coalition  of leading education organizations, including AACTE, NEA, AFT, Learning Policy  Institute (LPI), National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), National  Center for Grow Your Own (NCGYO), National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR),  and other leading organizations.19 While voluntary, the NGS can provide a pathway for expedited approval of the  teacher apprenticeship model, helping states, districts, institutions of higher  education, and other apprenticeship sponsors align their programs to quality  standards that meet federal requirements for Registered Apprenticeship Programs.  To learn more about the NGS, see these resources from the  Pathways Alliance. For additional DOL resources on teacher apprenticeship, see here. 

  The Department also worked with DOL and the White House to  highlight to leaders of state education and workforce agencies, as well as  state union leaders, the opportunity for states to apply to DOL for State  Apprenticeship Expansion funds, which included education  as a priority sector. These funds can support Registered Apprenticeship Programs  for K-12 teachers through both annual formula funding and additional  competitive awards. As a result of these efforts, through these funding  opportunities, 35 states and territories will target the education sector, along  with other priority sectors, as part of their annual formula funds, up from  only a handful of states in previous years. This includes five states – Kansas,  North Dakota, Utah, Washington, and New Hampshire – that received additional  DOL competitive funding totaling nearly $25 million to support Registered Apprenticeship  opportunities for teachers and in other in-demand sectors. Examples of key  investments in apprenticeship programs for teachers include the following:
- Kansas (formula and competitive  funding ) :  The Kansas Department of Education is using federal  apprenticeship funds to work with current teachers and district administrators,  the Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas Association of Private Colleges of  Teacher Education and other educator preparation programs, the Kansas National  Education Association, the Kansas Teachers of the Year, the Kansas Association  of School Personnel Administrators, and the United School Administrators of  Kansas to establish a Registered Apprenticeship Program for K-12 teachers. Kansas will develop this program as a four-year  competency-based apprenticeship, where the apprentice will receive training in  a classroom while pursuing a bachelor’s degree within a teacher preparation  program. The program will have a particular focus on recruiting apprentices who  are first generation college students from underserved populations in frontier,  rural, and urban areas. 
- North Dakota (formula and competitive funding) :  North Dakota Department of Public  Instruction will run an annual Request for Proposal, offering 7 to 13 grants of  $100,000 each year, in partnership with local school districts to establish a Registered  Apprenticeship Program for K-12 teachers. The state is partnering with North  Dakota United, North Dakota’s largest public educators’ union and an official affiliate of  both the AFT and the NEA. Grant funds will allow  North Dakota to  expand paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeship programs, which allow special  education paraprofessionals who aspire to be educators to remain employed as  full-time paraprofessionals and complete their degree program with a participating  university. North Dakota will utilize grant funds to “seed” apprenticeship  programs and establish statewide administrative infrastructure, as well as greatly  scale apprenticeship programs and prioritize pathways that lead to  certification in special education. This builds on additional efforts to  create robust opportunities for more individuals to enter the education  profession as paraprofessionals, teachers, and principals.
- Utah (formula and competitive funding) :  Utah will support the  establishment of Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers using feedback  received directly from teachers. The state has already identified pilot districts and will ensure that the  high-quality of Registered  Apprenticeship  Programs  remains consistent statewide. The Utah State Board of Education will be an  intermediary and provide a state-level Apprenticeship Specialist to assist with  development, implementation, and ongoing technical support.  

The Department of Education is also providing technical  assistance to state and local leaders exploring, launching, and implementing Registered  Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers: 
- The Department’s National Comprehensive Center  launched the Strengthening and Diversifying the Educator Workforce Workgroup,  which is bringing together states from across the country to share resources  and discuss lessons learned and best practices for supporting the development,  recruitment, and retention of a strong and diverse educator workforce. This workgroup,  in partnership with the Department of Labor, Jobs for the Future, CCSSO, and  leaders of Tennessee’s Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program, has led a  professional learning series for state education, educator preparation, and  labor organization leaders on planning, designing, and implementing Registered  Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers as a long-term strategy for  strengthening and diversifying the teacher workforce. Eighteen states have participated in this learning series. F or  more information on the work of the Strengthening and Diversifying the Educator  Workforce Workgroup, please visit  https://compcenternetwork.org/ccnetwork-highlights/topic/7123/educator-workforce .
- On August 16, the Department will host a Lessons  from the Field webinar on the NGS for Registered Apprenticeship Programs for  K-12 teachers recently approved by DOL, sharing how states can use them to develop,  expand, and monitor the quality of their programs. To register for the webinar  or see recordings of previous webinars, please visit the  National  Center for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments . 

Reducing the Burden of Student Loan Debt 

  Reducing the burden of student loan debt increases teachers’  monthly discretionary income, freeing up funds that would have gone to paying  off their loans for other purposes, such as saving money to purchase a home,  setting aside funds for a child’s education, or putting more money towards  retirement. The Department is committed to increasing discretionary income for  teachers and other borrowers by ensuring that teachers can take full advantage  of loan forgiveness programs from which they can benefit. 

  The Biden-Harris Administration has taken actions to address  challenges with the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, resulting  in more than 653,000 borrowers, including educators, receiving forgiveness  totaling more than $45 billion. Under the PSLF program, after a borrower has  made 10 years of qualifying monthly payments while working for a qualifying  employer, the remaining balance on a Direct Loan is forgiven. ​Full-time  elementary and secondary school teachers and others working in public or  private nonprofit schools meet the employment eligibility requirements of PSLF.  This program has had transformational impacts on the lives of student loan  borrowers, and the Department is encouraging all educators and school employees  to take advantage of it. 

  The Department also implemented changes to TEACH Grants to  promote teacher recruitment and retention. TEACH Grants provide up to $4,000 per  year to undergraduate and graduate students who are completing or plan to  complete coursework needed to become a teacher and commit to teaching in a high-need  area. The Department has taken action to make it easier for teachers to  successfully participate in this program and avoid improper conversion of  grants into loans by providing greater flexibilities and removing process pain  points. 

  Moreover, the Department has  finalized regulations (34 CFR 682, 34 CFR 685) creating  the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever – the Saving on a Valuable  Education (SAVE) plan, which will make income-driven repayment (IDR) more  affordable than ever before. The SAVE plan is designed to make student loans  more manageable by adjusting monthly payments based on income and family size. These  changes would halve monthly payments on undergraduate loans, in comparison to  other IDR plans, and protect income required for payments for individual  borrowers earning up to $30,600, so their payments would be $0. These  regulations would not only dramatically cut or eliminate monthly payments for  some school staff but also reduce the total amount paid by an estimated $17,000  (or roughly $140 a month) for a typical teacher working toward PSLF. 

  On July 14, the  Department announced that it was notifying more than 804,000 borrowers that they have a total of  $39 billion in Federal student loans that will be automatically discharged thanks  to actions by the Department to address historical inaccuracies in the count of  payments that qualify toward forgiveness under IDR plans. The Department will  continue to identify and notify borrowers who reach the applicable forgiveness  thresholds (240 or 300 qualifying monthly payments, depending on their  repayment plan and type of loan) every two months until next year, when all  borrowers who are not yet eligible for forgiveness will have their payment  counts updated. 

  By significantly reducing the burden of student loan debt and  thereby increasing discretionary income for teachers, these actions can make  becoming a teacher a more viable option for many more people and support the  retention of current teachers. Because of the disparate experiences with  education debt for teachers of color, relative to other populations, these  efforts are poised to help increase teacher diversity and support a stronger  pipeline and the retention of educators of color.20

Promoting High-Quality and Affordable Educator  Preparation Programs 

  The Department is also working to address barriers to entering  the profession by expanding access to high-quality, comprehensive, and  affordable teacher preparation with robust clinical experience aligned to  coursework. There is growing evidence that teacher preparation programs that  incorporate significant on the job training through clinical experiences that  are tightly integrated with rigorous and relevant coursework, such as residency  programs, have the potential to meaningfully improve student achievement and  teacher retention.21

  On July 27, the Department awarded $14.5 million in new  awards to 27 grantees through Teacher  Quality Partnership Grants. These awards are intended to improve the  quality of prospective and new teachers by improving educator preparation programs  and supports for new teachers. For example, one project recruits diverse teacher residents  for rigorous, graduate coursework leading to a master’s degree and  certification in shortage subject areas; engages diverse candidates in  full-time, year-long clinical placements in high-need rural schools with  exemplary, trained mentor teachers; and develops and implements induction  supports that complement district induction programs to retain program completers  in high-needs schools. 

  In May, the Department offered multiple grant funding  opportunities to support preparation of personnel to improve services for  children with disabilities, including:
- Preparation  of Early Intervention and Special Education Personnel Serving Children with  Disabilities Who Have High-Intensity Needs
- Preparation  of Related Services Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who Have High-Intensity  Needs
- Personnel  Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services  Personnel at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled  Colleges and Universities, and Other Minority Serving Institutions

These grant opportunities build on the first-ever Augustus  F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program grants,  which were awarded in December of 2022, and in February and May of this year, awarding  a total of $23.1 million to 15 grantees. The Hawkins grants are designed to increase high-quality teacher preparation programs for  teachers of color, strengthen the diversity of teacher pipeline programs, and  address teacher shortages through investments in educator preparation programs  at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges or  Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other Minority Serving  Institutions with a state-accredited teacher preparation program. 

  Additionally, in March, the Department released guidance on the use of Perkins V funds to improve the recruitment, preparation,  retention, and growth of future educators – including but not limited to career  and technical educators. This guidance describes how Perkins V funds can serve  as a flexible resource that may be used strategically by states, districts, and  community colleges to strengthen the pipeline of educators, including  specialized instructional support personnel. The Department awards  approximately $1.43 billion annually in state formula grants authorized under  Perkins V. States may use up to 10 percent of their allocations to carry out  state leadership activities, including recruiting, preparing, or retaining CTE  teachers and faculty, as well as educators that teach other subjects. While at  least 85 percent of state grant funds must be allocated by formula to districts  and postsecondary educational institutions, a state may reserve up to 15  percent of those funds to foster innovative and promising CTE programs or  promote programs of study and career pathways that are aligned with  state-identified high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or industries  (e.g., educators).
Career Advancement and Teacher Leadership 
In addition to developing and supporting new teachers, the  Department is promoting career advancement and leadership opportunities that  allow teachers to grow professionally and earn additional compensation, while  remaining in the classroom. This includes, for example, distributive leadership  models that support teachers’ leadership alongside their principal and other  school leaders to facilitate positive schoolwide change; teacher-led  instructional improvement efforts focused on specific areas of academic  content; opportunities to shape schoolwide policies and climate and lead  professional learning communities; programs for master-teachers who support the  development of other educators, teacher mentorship programs, and job-embedded  content coaching; and the implementation of advisory systems. With the  appropriate supports, such as release time and additional compensation for  additional responsibilities, teacher leadership and advancement can support  improved student outcomes and teacher recruitment and retention. 

  On July 27, the Department awarded $12.7 million in Supporting  Effective Educator Development funds to 8 grantees to support the  implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance  the skills of educators. These grants also will enable recipients to develop,  expand, and evaluate practices that can serve as models to be sustained,  replicated, and scaled and include career advancement opportunities for current  teachers. For example, one project  will support 150 teacher candidates to complete their final year of teacher  preparation working in urban K-8 classrooms, with additional mentoring during  their first year of teaching. The teachers of record in those classrooms will  be trained by participating faculty as instructional coaches and teacher  leaders. Two hundred teachers will participate in the residencies as mentors.  Participating faculty will work with mentors on coaching skills and conduct professional  learning workshops. By utilizing and supporting current teachers, these models  benefit new teachers while providing additional opportunities for veteran  teachers to grow and lead. 

  In May, the Department offered multiple grant funding  opportunities to promote teacher excellence, career ladders, and compensation,  including Teacher and School Leader Incentive grants, Education Innovation and  Research grants, and Native American Teacher Retention Initiative grants.
- The  Teacher  and School Leader Incentive  program will award $95 million to support career  advancement opportunities for educators, as well as make educator evaluation  and support systems fair, reliable, and credible; conducive to enhancing  educator growth and advancement; and likely to support improved student  outcomes.
- The  Education  Innovation and Research  program, which provides  Early-phase,  Mid-phase ,  and  Expansion  grants, will award $273 million to create, develop, implement, replicate, or  take to scale evidence-based innovations to improve student achievement. The  Early-phase competition includes opportunities for projects that will prioritize  strengthening the educator workforce, such as activities that involve innovation  in recruiting and retaining educators. It also includes a competitive preference  priority for projects that promote an effective and diverse educator workforce  by providing teachers a competitive wage and opportunities for advancement and  leadership.
- The  Native  American Teacher Retention  program will award $2.75 million to support  projects designed to improve educational opportunities and achievement of  Indian children and youth, which may include activities intended to retain  Native American educators and provide important support for Native American  teachers, including through teacher leadership models that include increased  compensation.

For more information on how the Department is continuing to  elevate the teaching profession and eliminate the educator shortage, and  specific strategies for state and local leaders, please visit Raise the  Bar: Boldly Improve Learning Conditions.

1  Goldhaber,  D. & Gratz, T. (2021). School District Staffing Challenges in a Rapidly  Recovering Economy. CEDR Flash Brief No. 11082021-1. University of Washington,  Seattle, WA; Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016).  A coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the U.S.  Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute; and Cardichon, J., Darling-Hammond,  L., Yang, M., Scott, C., Shields, P. M., & Burns, D. (2020). Inequitable  opportunity to learn: Student access to certified and experienced teachers.  Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. 
2  Allegretto, S. “The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high.” Economic Policy  Institute, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-2022.

3  See map, “Teacher Compensation 2021-2022.”
4  Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Department  of Labor; Employment, Hours, and Earnings  from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National); available at https://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cesbtab1.htm (visited June 14, 2023).  
5  Sources:  Current Population Survey; President’s Council of Economic Advisers  calculations.

6  U.S.  Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for  Education Statistics, School Pulse Panel, October 2022; available at https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/12_6_2022.asp#:~:text=As%20of%20October%202022%2C%204,percent%20had%20multiple%20teaching%20vacancies (visited July 13, 2023).

7  For  cross-state comparisons, the map displays 12-month averages of local public  education employment to account for seasonality and small samples at the state  level. Job recovery data for Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico is not included due  to data limitations. 

8  See https://www.future-ed.org/local-covid-relief-spending/ and https://www.future-ed.org/financial-trends-in-local-schools-covid-aid-spending/

9  Carver-Thomas, D. (2022). Teacher shortages take center stage. Palo Alto, CA:  Learning Policy Institute, https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/teacher-shortages-take-center-stage.

10  Sources:  Current Population Survey; President’s Council of Economic Advisers  calculations. 

11  For more information on Administration efforts to increase the number of mental  health professionals in schools, please see Fact  Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Tackle Nation's  Mental Health Crisis and the Department’s Raise the Bar site. 

12  Diliberti, M. K., et al. “Stress  Topped the Reasons Why Teachers Quit, Even Before COVID-19.” RAND Corporation,  22 Feb. 2021, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1121-2.html;  and Loewus, L. “Why Teachers Leave—or Don’t: A Look at the Numbers.”  EducationWeek, 04 March 2021. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-teachers-leave-or-dont-a-look-at-the-numbers/2021/05.

13  Allegretto, S. “The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high.” Economic Policy  Institute, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-2022.

14  National  Research Council. (2010). Preparing Teachers: Building Evidence for Sound Policy.  Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12882.

15  State  Report Card reporting instrument. Title II Higher Education Act Technical  Assistance. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://title2.ed.gov/Public/TA.aspx.   

16  Steiner,  E. D., et al. “Prioritizing Strategies to Racially Diversify the K-12 Teacher  Workforce.” RAND Corporation, 2022, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-6.html.

17  D.C. and Puerto Rico are not displayed on  the map and do not have Registered Apprenticeship programs for teachers.

18  A  program registered with the federal Office of Apprenticeship or the state’s  State Apprenticeship Agency. For additional detail, see https://www.apprenticeship.gov/about-us/apprenticeship-system.

19  Additional  Pathways Alliance working group members include the Arizona State University (ASU),  Cooperative Educational Service Agency 6 (CESA6), Deans for Impact,  InnovateEDU, Inspire Texas, Prepared to Teach, Substantial, and TeachMe  Education. 

20  Steiner,  E. D., et al. “Prioritizing Strategies to Racially Diversify the K-12 Teacher  Workforce.” RAND Corporation, 2022, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-6.html.

21  Institute of Education Sciences, “New Findings on the Retention of Novice  Teachers from Teaching Residency Programs.” August 2015, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20154015/pdf/20154015.pdf;  and Papay, J. P., West, M. R., Fullerton, J. B., and Kane, T. J. (2012). Does  an urban teacher residency increase student achievement? Early evidence from  Boston. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 34(4), 413–434.
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