The Challenge Of Recruiting And Retaining Teachers In The United States: Is This A Compensation Or Demand Issue?

Abstract

School districts and educational leaders as well as administrators across the nation believe they are facing teacher shortages.  There is a widely-held belief that they are facing a critical shortage of teachers, primarily due to recent increases in teacher retirements and student enrollments. However, others believe that this is a superficial conclusion drawn from growing student enrollments, smaller class sizes, and retirements.  The assumption incorrectly surmised is that there is not enough supply, in this case, of new teachers entering the profession, to meet demand.  Studies looking at both supply and demand for new teachers entering the profession have found that the demand for teachers has indeed grown over the last decade.  However, many researchers contend that there is an ample supply of teachers to not only meet, but exceed the demand.  This paper explores the two sides of this topic and provides recommendations for administrators and educational leaders.