Address Educator Shortages | GTL Center

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Take an Integrated Approach to Addressing Educator Shortages

States often approach educator shortages and gaps in access to effective educators as separate problems with separate solutions. 

Too often, states resort to disconnected policies and stop-gap solutions to fill vacancies without long-term, systemic strategies to address the interconnected root causes of educator shortages and gaps in access to effective educators.  

At the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, we have worked alongside multiple states to use an integrated approach that considers these challenges together while also combining short-term and long-term strategies to create a comprehensive solution. 
 

Piecemeal vs. Integrated Approaches

• Piecemeal approaches often address educator shortages without considering related impacts on access to effective educators. Tackling each challenge separately overlooks the multiple, interconnected factors that need to be addressed in an integrated manner.
• Integrated approaches, in contrast, start from understanding the interconnections between these challenges. Integrated efforts are more likely to achieve the desired impact—resolving shortages and expanding access by attracting, recruiting, and retaining effective educators for the students who need them the most. 

We offer comprehensive, step-by-step planning tools and implementation resources, as well as evidence-based briefs, toolkits, and professional learning materials to help state and district leaders make meaningful, data-driven decisions to address the educator shortages and effectiveness gaps unique to their specific context.