Teacher Recruitment

Purposes of Teacher Recruitment

The urgency for teacher recruitment depends on supply and demand. Some studies predict nationwide teacher shortages in coming years. Other speculations are more moderate; arguing regional shortages—inequities in teacher distribution (rather than insufficient supply of teachers)—will continue to be the norm. Regardless, two conditions drive contemporary efforts to expand the pool of teacher candidates: teacher demographics and specific shortage areas. The former has national scope, whereas the latter is somewhat more localized. Each presents its own unique set of challenges, but the concern that cuts across both is teacher quality.

Forcing a Shift in Teacher Demographics

There are two demographic issues pushing teacher recruitment: diversity and academic ability. The first tackles long-standing patterns of who becomes a teacher. The teaching population continues to be dominated heavily by White females. Yet student populations are increasingly more diverse, especially in areas of the country like California and Texas. The disparity between student and teacher demographics underlies efforts to diversify the teaching force—recruiting minorities and males so that the race/ethnicity/gender of the teaching population more closely matches the student population.

A second issue concerns teacher candidates' general academic ability. Statistical studies show that students with lower college entrance exam scores are more likely to become teacher candidates than those with higher scores. These figures cause alarm about teacher quality. If education is the next generation's hope for the future, students deserve the “best and the brightest” as teachers.

Attracting Teachers to Key Shortage Areas

The No Child Left Behind Act, enacted in 2002, requires all teachers to hold credentials appropriate for their teaching position. The mandate prevents districts from hiring teachers who are “out of field,” a practice used to fill vacancies in the past. Consequently, there is a push to attract candidates for national shortage areas in mathematics, science, bilingual, and special education—there are simply not enough teachers preparing for these areas. Labor market specialists point out that potential mathematics and science specialists often have a wide array of career options in industry and government, with better salary and benefits than teaching typically offers.

Certain geographic areas and types of school districts are especially prone to teacher shortages. States with large student populations (e.g., California), high-poverty urban centers, and isolated rural districts often struggle to fill vacancies with qualified teachers. Wealthier districts are more likely to have resources that attract qualified teachers—salaries, working conditions, and other incentives. Consequently, high-poverty schools are less competitive in the teacher market—a situation that leaves the neediest students at risk for substandard education. The recruitment challenge is twofold: increase the number of applicants without sacrificing quality.

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