State of the States 2021: State Reporting of Teacher Supply and Demand Data

For any labor market to function properly, clear information is needed to guide decision making; its absence invariably leads to less than optimal decisions and inefficiencies. While the broader labor market is riddled with imperfect information, the teacher labor market is particularly vulnerable--...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNational Council on Teacher Quality
Main Author Saenz-Armstrong, Patricia
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published National Council on Teacher Quality 01.12.2021
Subjects
Barriers
Data Analysis
Data Collection
Decision Making
Educational Legislation
Educational Policy
Elementary Secondary Education
Equal Education
Faculty Mobility
Federal Legislation
Geographic Regions
Information Sources
Labor Force
School Districts
State Departments of Education
Teacher Persistence
Teacher Selection
Teacher Shortage
Teacher Supply and Demand
North Carolina
Colorado
Illinois
Massachusetts
Kentucky
Delaware
Arkansas
Nebraska
Michigan
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Summary:For any labor market to function properly, clear information is needed to guide decision making; its absence invariably leads to less than optimal decisions and inefficiencies. While the broader labor market is riddled with imperfect information, the teacher labor market is particularly vulnerable--largely for the lack of the most basic information. This analysis examines the essential role of state education agencies in collecting and reporting information about their own teacher labor markets in the following areas: (1) teacher shortages and surpluses; (2) teacher retention and mobility; and (3) equitable distribution of the teacher workforce. Compared to most labor markets, the teacher labor market is highly localized, meaning that the hiring decision processes usually happen within the confines of small geographical areas, often blind to the existing resources and needs of nearby localities. This hyperlocalization limits job opportunities for teachers and hiring opportunities for schools and exacerbates inequities across school districts, which is why states play such an essential role in the generation and provision of information, given their broader scope and perspective. States' data reporting can apprise districts of the available teacher talent across the state and provide them with a broader view to help them fashion appropriate policies to respond to the issues that exist within their own teacher labor market. As there is a wide and uneven distribution of technical capacity and practices among the consumers of this information, this brief also examines how state education agencies help make this information both available and functional for their end users.