Two decades ago, at a time when much of the country faced looming teacher shortages, a number of states invested in comprehensive strategies for strengthening the teaching profession. For example, and drawing upon recommendations from the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, both California and North Carolina built statewide…

This brief summarizes a 2019 study of educator supply, demand, and quality in North Carolina conducted by the Learning Policy Institute in collaboration with the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina and WestEd. That study supported the state's ongoing efforts to meet the standard set in the North Carolina Supreme Court's decision in…

In "Leandro v. the State of North Carolina" ("Leandro"), the Supreme Court of North Carolina found that children have a right to qualified teachers and principals who can prepare students for college and careers and meet the needs of those placed at risk. Providing such high-quality educators for each child demands an adequate…

To inform the "Leandro v. State of North Carolina" Action Plan, the Learning Policy Institute examined the within-school and out-of-school barriers to obtaining a sound basic education facing students who attend North Carolina's high-poverty schools. High-poverty schools are schools where 75% or more students are at risk because their…

The dynamics of the teacher labor market were examined, focusing upon the problems of which teachers leave the profession, why they leave, where they go, and what it would take to retain them as public school teachers. In-depth case studies were made of six universities and six school districts. Data were collected by interviews (n=180) with…

The authors of this report, education researchers and reformers, value both the promise and possibilities of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), with its mandate that states ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every child in every core academic class. Reports by the Education Trust, the Center for Education Policy, and the Center…

Using a case study methodology, the researchers attempt to discover the situational context of the teacher labor force in the southeast U.S. The study emphasizes significant variables in the present teacher labor market, including (1) recruitment; (2) mobility patterns; (3) desirable characteristics; (4) expectations, lifestyles, and attrition;…

A report is given of a series of qualitative studies conducted to clarify the market patterns of career choice and expectation, recruitment and selection, turnover and mobility, and working conditions and career alternatives of public school teachers. A study of the career expectations of noneducation college students was also made. These studies…

Educational reform movements--changes in state policies about teacher quality and recruitment and the professionalization of teaching--and their impact on the teacher labor market of the coming century are discussed. Four studies of teachers, teacher persistence, recruitment, and school district hiring practices are discussed. (JL)

At the same time that NCLB has given states a mandate to staff their classrooms with "highly qualified teachers," the federal government is pushing a dangerously narrow definition of the knowledge and skills that today's teachers need. Over the last decade, policy makers and business leaders have come to realize what parents have always…

Describes policies and programs that can successfully recruit, prepare, retain, and support a diverse, well-qualified teaching force for all communities, discussing the importance of emphasizing: teacher salaries and supports, improved teacher recruitment and training, quality preservice preparation, streamlined selection and proactive…

This report contains recommendations from North Carolina's National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) on how to support and staff high-needs schools and solve the state's staffing problems in these schools. Beyond financial incentives, a comprehensive approach is recommended that takes into account the working conditions that North Carolina's NBCTs…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has developed and made available sophisticated teaching assessments in nearly two dozen fields. This paper draws on an array of research evidence, and data gathering in four urban communities with large representations of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), to describe three major…

One of the most important aspects of NCLB is its demand that states ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every student. This provision draws much-needed attention to the importance of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality teachers, write the authors. Some aspects of the provision have raised legitimate concerns--including…

In an effort to explore significant supply and demand variables that affect the teacher labor market in the Southeast, a qualitative research study was undertaken to examine the market patterns of initial career choice, position availability, recruitment and selection, turnover, and mobility of public school teachers. An ethnographic investigation…