Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A map with the header “growing our educator workforce” is projected on to the screen behind him.
Posted inEducation News

Department Convenes States to Elevate Support for Educators


Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A map with the header “growing our educator workforce” is projected on to the screen behind him

By: Roberto J. Rodríguez, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Through the Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative, the U.S. Department of Education is working in partnership with states and school districts to eliminate educator shortages in our nation’s schools. 

Thanks to the leadership of state and local education officials – and fueled by the pandemic relief funds championed by the Biden-Harris Administration and made available by Congress – as of February of this year there were more people working in our public schools than prior to the pandemic. That reflects a dramatic recovery after the loss of 9 percent of all these jobs – an estimated 730,000 – in 2020. That’s great news!  

However, our nation still employs fewer teachers in our schools than before the pandemic, and researchers and school leaders report more teachers with emergency certifications and teaching out of their certification area, as well as smaller applicant pools from which to hire talent. Educator shortages, while exacerbated by the pandemic, are not new. Addressing these persistent shortages requires addressing fundamental challenges to the teaching profession today, including: 

  • inadequate compensation and poor working conditions; 
  • barriers to entering the profession through high-quality and affordable pathways; and 
  • lack of educator diversity. 

The Biden-Harris Administration has been laser-focused on using every tool available to raise the bar in education and elevate the teaching profession. To address these challenges, state action is critical. That’s why, in May and June, the U.S. Department of Education hosted three Regional Convenings to Support State Action to Advance the Education Professions. 

In partnership with The Hunt Institute and TEACH.org, these Regional Convenings – hosted in Albuquerque, NM; Chicago, IL; and Jackson, MS – brought together key leaders from across 25 states and territories, plus the District of Columbia, to galvanize and share the bold efforts and leadership underway across states to increase educator compensation, expand access to high-quality and affordable pathways into the profession, and increase educator diversity. Cross-sector state teams – including Elected State Officials, State Commissioners and Superintendents, local K-12 and Higher Education Leaders, education and labor leaders, and others – came together to develop plans for further action to elevate and support the teaching profession.  

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

At Regional Convenings, national experts, state officials, and other leaders shared strategies for addressing these three key issues, including goals and objectives behind their efforts, work with key partners to advance their plans, and lessons learned along the way.  

Increasing Compensation

Teachers earn 26 percent less than their college educated peers. Increasing teacher compensation so that teachers are paid competitively is critical to addressing teacher shortages now and in the long-term.  Lack of adequate planning time and opportunities to collaborate with peers, insufficient staffing levels that increase responsibilities for teachers and other staff, and a lack of agency and challenging political climate all contribute to increased teacher stress. While every state is different, there are multiple paths states can and should pursue to address these fundamental challenges and diverse state leaders and Legislators are showing that bold action is possible.  

Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, and Maryland – which represent a diverse set of state contexts – all shared their strategies for working within their specific legal, political, and collective bargaining contexts to significantly increase educator compensation.  

Maryland

Through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Maryland is pursuing comprehensive efforts to elevate the teaching profession, including by increasing compensation so that teacher pay is comparable to other professions with similar education requirements, establishing career ladders for teachers that provides opportunities to become teacher leaders and school administrators, and giving classroom teachers time for professional development and collaboration during the school day. 

Powerpoint slide with the Maryland State Department of Education Logo. Header 1: Teacher Compensation. Header 2: Compensation Requirements. July 1, 2019, - June 30, 2024: • All Maryland districts must provide teaches a 10 percent salary increase above the negotiated scheduled of salary increases (step movements not included) • Between FY 2020 and FY 2023, the state provided 225,000,000 dollars to jumpstart salary increases July 1, 2023-June 30, 2033: • In FY 2023, the Foundation Per Pupil Fund increased by 13 percent (compared to FY 21). A portion of this fund is being used to finance teacher salaries • Beginning July 1, 2026, the minimum salary for all teachers is 60,000 dollars • Between FY 2023 and FY 2033, the Foundation Per Pupil Fund will increase by a total of 49 percent The state does not set wages at the state level.
Powerpoint slide with the Maryland Department of Education logo. Header 1: Career Ladder for Educators • The Blueprint established a statewide framework called the Career Ladder for Educators • Enables teachers to remain in the classroom with increased responsibilities and salary upon achieving National Board Certification • The Career Ladder for Educators establishes a Teacher Leadership Track • Promotion up the career ladder depends on a teacher/principal’s performance, experience, and availability of positions • All Maryland districts must develop a career ladder that aligns with the framework by July 1, 2024 through negotiations with the local bargaining unit. Flow chart showing the progression of the Career Ladder for Educators Box 1: State Certified Teacher, holds a Maryland Teacher’s Certificate, average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in the classroom Box 2: Teacher pursuing a master’s degree, 30 credits of an approved course of study or National Board Certification (NBC), average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in the classroom Box 3a: NBC Teacher or master’s degree for teacher with no assessment comparable to NBC, average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in a classroom Box 3b, located to the right of box 3a: Assistant Principal who has an NBC or advanced professional certificate in administration, at least 20 percent of working time spent teaching in a classroom Arrow from box 3a to box 4a showing the Teacher Leadership Track Box 4a: A-1 – Lead Teacher, must hold NBC or master’s degree if no NBC available, average of 50 percent of working time spent in classroom Box 5a: A-2 - Distinguished Teacher, eligibility based on evaluation, average of 40 percent of working time spent in classroom Box 6a: Professor Distinguished Teacher, identified as having exceptional accomplishments, average of 20 percent of working time spent in classroom Arrow from box 3b to box 4b showing the Administrator Track Box 4b: B-1- Licensed Principal who has an NBC or an advanced professional certificate in administration Box 5b: B-2 – Distinguished Principal, eligibility based on evaluation

Mississippi

Mississippi Interim State Superintendent Dr. Raymond Morgigno provided welcoming remarks as leaders gathered in Jackson, MS, sharing their efforts to increase teacher compensation. In Mississippi, where minimum compensation is set at the state level, the state took bold action to increase teacher compensation by 11.4% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, the second largest year over year increase in the nation. These changes resulted in Mississippi’s ranking for average teacher starting pay going from 45th to 30th in the nation.  

Powerpoint slide with Mississippi Department of Education logo. Header 1: 2022 Legislative Session: Largest Pay Raise in Mississippi Header 2: HB 530 Strategically Accelerating the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers (START) Act Highlights: • Allocated additional 246 million dollars to fund teacher pay raise for the 2022-23 school year • Base salary increase: 4,500 dollars • 400-600 dollar step raises every year contingent upon degree • 1,200-3,500 dollar step raises every five years • Average raise (includes immediate step raise): 5,151 dollars • Teacher assistant one-time pay raise: 2,000 dollars • Mississippi’s new starting salary of 41,500 dollars surpasses southern regional average of 41,146 dollars at time law was enacted
This line graph shows increases to average and minimum teacher salaries in Mississippi each year from the 2014-15 school year to the 2022-23 school year. The first line shows increases to the minimum teacher salary. The minimum salary was 33,390 dollars in 2014-15. It increased to 34,390 dollars for the 2015-16 school year and remained the same until 2019-20, when it increased to 35,390 dollars. It then increased to 37,000 dollars for the 2021-22 year and to 41,500 dollars in 2022-23. The second line shows increases to the average teacher salary. From 2014-15 to 2021-22, there is a steady increase in the average salary from 43,308 dollars to 47,902 dollars. From 2021-22 to 2022-23, there is a larger increase from 47,902 dollars to 53,354 dollars

New Mexico

New Mexico Lieutenant Governor, Howie Morales, and State Secretary of Education, Dr. Arsenio Romero, welcomed participants to Albuquerque, where Dr. Romero presented on how the state increased minimum teacher salaries. Under the leadership of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico, which also has authority to set minimum compensation levels at the state level, took important steps to both increase pay and reduce the cost of benefits for educators. The state has increased minimum salaries at each of its three tiers of compensation (provisional, professional, and master teacher), which resulted in average teacher salaries in the state increasing by 17.2% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, the largest year-over-year increase in the nation.  

Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: New Mexico Teacher Salaries have Consistently Increased Over the Past Three Years. This table shows the percent increases to teacher salaries, and the minimum Level One, Level Two, and Level Three salaries in New Mexico each year from 2020-2024. The increase was 6 percent in 2020, 1 percent in 2021, 1.5 percent in 2022, 3 percent in Fall 2022, 4 percent in Spring 2023, and 3 percent in 2024. The minimum Level One salary was 41,000 dollars in 2020, 41,410 dollars in 2021, 42,031 dollars in 2022, and 50,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024. The minimum Level Two Salary was 50,000 dollars in 2020, 50,500 dollars in 2021, 51,257 dollars in 2022, and 60,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024. The minimum Level Three salary was 60,000 dollars in 2020, 60,600 dollars in 2021, 61,509 dollars in 2022, and 70,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024.
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: Minimum Group Insurance Contributions. Minimum Group Insurance contributions, school districts and charter schools covered by the Public School Insurance Authority Act, which excludes Albuquerque Public Schools, are required to pay for their employees’ healthcare benefits increased as follows: 80 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning less than 50,000 dollars 70 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning 50,000 dollars or more but less than 60,000 dollars 60 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning more than 60,000 dollars

Nevada

Under the leadership of Gov. Joe Lombardo, Nevada – where compensation is set at the district level – used a historic increase in per-pupil funding and a matching fund to support districts in collectively bargaining pay increases with their local unions. During the 2023 state legislative session, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro was instrumental in spearheading Senate Bill 231, which provided funding for school district employee pay raises. Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jhone Ebert, and leaders from the Clark County Education Association and Nevada State Education Association presented on Nevada’s teacher pay efforts. More than half of Nevada’s counties negotiated a pay raise of at least 20%, according to the Nevada State Education Association. 

Powerpoint slide with Nevada Department of Education logo Header 1: Nevada’s Public K-12 Education Budget, 2023 to 2025 Biennium • The budget allocates nearly 12 billion dollars in state education funding • Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state legislature made a historic investment in public education – a 2.6 billion dollar increase • Per-pupil funding is increasing by more than 2,500 dollars – a 25 percent increase
Powerpoint slide with Clark County Education Association logo. Header 1: Nevada’s 82ndLegislative Session, Senate Bill 231. Header 2: Salary Table Randers Over the Years. 72 percent increase to starting pay 93 percent increase to top pay This grouped bar graph shows changes to Nevada’s average starting teacher pay and average top teacher pay from the 2015-16 to 2024-25 school years. The y axis shows U.S dollars from 0 dollars to 140,000 dollars in increments of 20,000 dollars. The x-axis shows the school years from 2015-16 to 2024-25, each with two bars, one for starting pay and one for top pay. The average top teacher salary was 73,000 dollars in 2015-16, and increased steadily until 2022-23, when it increased from 101,000 dollars to 131,000 dollars and then to 142,000 dollars in 2024-25. The average starting teacher salary increased steadily each year from 34,000 dollars in 2015-16 to 59,000 dollars in 2024-25. Swooping arrows above the bar chart repeat the overall percentage increases.

Increasing Access to High-Quality and Affordable Educator Preparation

The high cost of pursuing and entering the teaching profession is also a barrier to addressing today’s educator shortage, with disproportionate impacts on individuals of color who graduate from college with more student debt than their college-educated peers. Teacher candidates need greater access to high-quality, affordable educator pathways aligned to evidence-based practices, with robust clinical experience in the classroom before becoming the teacher of record.  

Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A map with the header “growing our educator workforce” is projected on to the screen behind him.
The High-Quality and Affordable Pathways panel presents in Chicago, IL, including Michael Saylor, Delaware Department of Education (at podium), Maureen Tracey-Mooney, U.S. Department of Education, Lynn Gangone, AACTE, and from the Michigan Department of Education State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice and Sarah-Kate LaVan (at table, left to right). 

Nevada, Delaware, Michigan, New Mexico and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center shared with other leaders their efforts to reduce the cost of becoming a teacher without lowering the quality of educator preparation, including by providing paid opportunities to pursue teacher certification through residency programs and registered teacher apprenticeship programs that allow candidates to earn-while-they-learn, while being supported by an expert mentor teacher. These efforts are unlocking pathways for a great number of future teachers, including paraprofessionals who bring decades of classroom experience but may face challenges or lack the resources needed to pursue their teacher certification.  

Michigan

Michigan shared its investments in comprehensive strategies that address the affordability of educator preparation, both for those just beginning their preparation to become a teacher, and for current teachers with student debt. In Michigan, funding for Grow Your Own programs that maintain current high-quality standards is critical, and as State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said, make “clinically-centered preparation the norm, not the exception.”

Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: FY 23 Budget to Address the Teacher Shortage. • 575 million dollars included, but was not limited to: o 305 million dollars for MI Future Educator Fellowships (Scholarships) o 175 million dollars for Grow Your Own programs for support staff to become teachers  155 million dollars from ARPA + 20 million dollars from state funds o 50 million dollars for Future Educator Student Teacher Stipends
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: FY 24 Budget to Address the Teacher Shortage. • 448 million dollars includes, but is not limited to: o 225 million dollars for districts to implement a student loan repayment program o 63.8 million dollars for equal per pupil payments to districts to increase educator compensation o 15 million dollars to pilot a rural credentialing hub o 50 million dollars over five years for grants for mentoring and induction

Tennessee

Tennessee has been a pioneer in its leadership to expand affordable pathways into the teaching profession. The Tennessee Grow Your Own Center shared how it is supporting state leaders to expand registered apprenticeship programs for teachers.

Powerpoint slide with no logo. On the left, an image of a male teacher in a classroom with students. Text on the right: Header 1: Evidence of Success. • Higher than average retention in the program of study (91-88 percent). • Recruitment efforts have been fruitful (about 3,000). • Over 100 teacher apprentices have completed the program. • 694 educator apprentices in any segment of the funnel (CC + EPP). • 77 of 145 LEAs are approved. • All 7 TAP pre-apprenticeship pilot districts plan to expand their programs next year. • Expanding access to rural communities, diverse communities, and adult learners. Data as of December 31st, 2023.
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header: Expanding Access. • Only 11.6% of registered teacher apprentices fall in the 18-24 year old age range. • GYO is not competing with traditional residential campus programs. A donut chart shows the percent of registered teacher apprentices in different age groups. 11.6 percent are aged 18 to 24, 30.7 percent of apprentices are aged 25-34, 28.9 percent are aged 35-44, 23.0 percent are aged 45-54, and 5.9 percent are 55 or older. Data as of December 31st, 2023.

Note: Data as of December 31, 2023

Increasing Educator Diversity

There are so many benefits to promoting a diverse and talented teaching workforce. Today, while over half of public school students are students of color, just 24% of teachers are individuals of color. Increasing educator diversity is critical to eliminating educator shortages; providing every child an outstanding educator requires recruiting and supporting teacher talent from every corner of our communities.

Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A line graph that shows the percentage of teachers of color in the teacher workforce from 1987-2020 is projected on to the screen behind him
The Educator Diversity panel presents in Chicago, IL, including Dr. Travis Bristol, U.C. Berkeley’s School of Education (at podium), Jarvis Lundy, the Hunt Institute, Dr. Kimako Patterson, Illinois State Board of Education, and from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Regina Robinson and Darcy Fernandes (at table, left to right).
A woman in a green dress and jacket is standing and speaking at a clear podium.
Dr. Cassandra Herring, Founder, President, and CEO, Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, presents during the Educator Diversity panel in Jackson, MS.

At the Regional Convenings, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington shared their work to increase educator diversity, including how these states are working to establish clear and consistent goals for educator recruitment and development, tracking progress; providing financial incentive to future educators and institutions of higher education working to increase educator diversity, including by investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally-Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs); and supporting reforms at the school and educator preparation program level to create working environments that better recruit, support and retain diverse educators.

Illinois

Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders welcomed participants to Chicago, where he and his colleagues presented on their efforts to increase educator diversity, including by focusing on increasing retention rates for teachers of color, getting high school students on an early path to becoming a teacher, and increasing recruitment rates and persistence rates for students of color in educator preparation programs.

Powerpoint slide with Illinois State Board of Education logo. Header 1: Creating a pipeline for diverse educators. • CTE Career Education Pathways Grant equips aspiring teachers in high school for success through tailored coursework, field experiences, and work-based learning • 10 million dollars in state funding since FY 2020 • Nearly 12,000 Illinois high school students across 212 school districts and three community colleges • Statewide access to Educators Rising CTSO
Powerpoint slide with Illinois State Board of Education logo. Header 1: Increasing both recruitment and persistence in educator preparation programs. • Arrow showing that the percentage of newly enrolled undergraduate teacher candidates identified as people of color increased from 27 percent in 2019 to 35 percent in 2022. • Arrow showing that the percentage of undergraduate program completers identified as people of color increased from 18 percent in 2019 to 32 percent in 2022.

Colorado

In 2021, Colorado established a working group to develop recommendations for increasing the diversity of the educator workforce. The resulting report guided comprehensive action by the state legislature to increase educator diversity, including investments in loan forgiveness and scholarship assistance, multiple pathways into the profession, and a partnership with TEACH Colorado to cultivate and support diverse applicants in Colorado’s educator preparation programs.  

Powerpoint slide with the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Education logos. Header 1: Our Legislators and Governors Supported Our Efforts. Left sidebar pointing to text on the right: • SB16-104: Incentives to Build Number of Rural Teachers • SB 21-185: Supporting Educator Workforce in Colorado • HB22-1220: Removing Barriers to Educator Participation Text on the right: • Legislation and financial assistance to reduce barriers o Financial assistance and incentives for teacher candidates through the Colorado Center for Rural Education o GYO pathway for high school students – lowering the cost and time to complete a degree (TREP) o Stipends for rural educator recruitment and advancement o Educator loan forgiveness • TEACH Colorado – Statewide recruitment system o Identifies and cultivates Coloradoans in every zip code o Connects prospects to financial assistance o Supports high school students who are on the pathway o Supports prospects to navigate licensure and other barriers
Powerpoint slide with the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Education logos. Header 1: Cultivate and support prospects until they apply Lefthand text: Header 2: SUPPORT • Help finding EPP • Help applying to EPP • Financial assistance • Licensure exam prep Center image: Woman standing against wall, text over image “Apoyo en Español” Righthand collage of images and text: • Woman smiling. Text next to image: “Emily Viramontes, 1,000 dollar scholarship winner. “I always aspire to be the adult I did not have as a kid. I want to teach in communities of color and serve students that look like me,” • Woman looking at computer. Text below image: Prepare for content tests. Find out what exams you’ll need to get licensed, and explore study materials and tools. Button: Start Preparing. • Woman looking at computer. Text below image: Pay for your teaching program. Get to know financial aid options when it comes to paying for your teaching program. Button: Read More.

STATES LEADING THE WAY

Recognizing how critical a multi-sector approach is to this work, the U.S. Department of Education structured its Regional Convenings to reflect diverse leaders and stakeholders from across the public education sector, all whom are critical to making progress to address educator shortages and elevate the teaching profession. State teams included state leadership from K-12 and higher education to the Governor’s office, including state legislatures, workforce systems, local and regional superintendents and system leaders, state Boards of Education, unions, and other key partners. During their time together, state teams worked to build their understanding of the root causes of challenges in their state related to educator compensation, high-quality and affordable educator preparation, and educator diversity, as well as identified key strategies that might help overcome these challenges.

Seven women sitting around a round table. Some are talking, some are writing down notes.
Leaders from Connecticut discuss during a state team working session in Chicago, IL.

State teams also connected with their counterparts from other states to share proven practices and lessons learned, and to collaborate in cross-state groups to learn, share, and swap insights on possible solutions to addressing the teacher shortage.

15 people sitting in chairs in a circle around three tables, listening to one person talking. The tables are in an outdoor courtyard. The flag for the state of New Mexico hangs in the background.
Leaders from New Mexico and Utah engage in cross-state collaborations in Albuquerque, NM.

At the conclusion of each Regional Convening, states shared key strategies and next steps they were interested in pursuing. Ideas were wide ranging, from concepts for new policy and legislation, data collection and goal setting, commissions, initiatives, and tools.

We are grateful to the state and local leaders from across the country who chose to invest their time in these crucial conversations. We look forward to continued State-federal partnership and efforts to come together across diverse states and geographies to address educator shortages and elevate the teaching profession.

A special thanks to those states who shared their work at the Regional Convenings and for allowing excerpts of their presentations to be used in this blog. Thanks, as well, to the Learning Policy Institute, Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Education Association, and UC Berkeley’s School of Education for sharing their expertise at these convenings. The U.S. Department of Education is especially grateful for the generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, who made the Regional Convenings possible.





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