Stressed out and burned out from the COVID-19 pandemic and increased scrutiny of their profession by policymakers and the public, teachers have made good on their recent threats to leave their classrooms.
The nation’s public schools lost 7% of their teaching force between 2019 and 2021, and 4% of all teaching positions in the nation’s public schools were unfilled as of last fall. There’s little help on the way: The nation’s classrooms are projected to lose an average of 270,000 educators annually for the next several years, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs has plummeted. 
Dr. Mildred García
Simultaneously, the nation’s teaching force (80% white) should better reflect public school enrollment (55% students of color). That’s because researchers have found that when students of color have at least one teacher of the same race see improved attendance and academic performance.
The struggle to attract new teachers and diversify the teaching profession represents a massive national challenge — and an opportunity for the regional public universities that have traditionally produced the majority of the nation’s educators. Not only do these institutions have the capacity to prepare more educators, they are strategically positioned to diversify the pipeline of teaching prospects — which could be the key to solving these national shortages. More than 40% — roughly 220 — of the nation’s regional public universities are designated as Minority Serving Institutions. With a combined enrollment of 1.9 million students of color, these institutions can be instrumental in attracting, developing and inspiring the diverse educator corps our nation needs.
The nation’s colleges and universities need support from multiple stakeholders to address both challenges. The U.S. Department of Education is stepping up with $368 million in new grant funding to aid teacher retention and recruitment and improve diversity. But there’s more the federal government can do. Congress can pass the EDUCATORS for America Act, which would authorize $1 billion to states annually to enhance and expand teacher preparation programs, invest in programs to address shortages and diversify the pipeline of prospective educators.
Helping schools of education produce more teachers is only one half of the equation. The other side involves dramatically increasing financial aid to lower the barrier to college entry and help prospective teachers graduate with less or no debt. For that reason it’s encouraging to see that a key provision of the bill would double the amount of annual grants that help prospective educators pay for college.
Congress and state lawmakers should consider raising the floor on teacher salaries, similar to what was proposed in a 2022 House bill. Pay remains a persistent challenge to recruitment and retention. A recent analysis from the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute shows that teachers make less than other college graduates in weekly pay and total salary — and this gap is growing. Until we as a nation get serious about paying teachers as the essential workers they are, it will remain a struggle to recruit and retain high-quality educators.
