Project
The American Educator Panels
Jul 3, 2018
Media accounts have described kindergarten through 12th grade teaching staff shortages in 2021–2022 that were severe enough to temporarily close schools for in-person instruction in some areas. To obtain a national picture of the types of staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021–2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel in fall 2021.
Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
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Media accounts have described kindergarten through 12th grade teaching staff shortages in 2021–2022 that were severe enough to temporarily close schools for in-person instruction in some areas. Although much has been written about the negative impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on teachers, less is known about the extent to which the pandemic is taking a toll on other types of educators, including superintendents. Researchers have rightly pointed out that school staff shortages vary by state and by teaching subject area, and even by school within a district. Therefore, extrapolating from isolated instances and media reports and overlooking important differences among school districts can lead to incomplete and inefficient — or even counterproductive — policy responses to resolve staffing shortages.
To obtain a national picture of the various types of staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021–2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel (ASDP) between October 25, 2021, and December 10, 2021.
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