A Background on Potential Teacher Shortages in the United States

Since 1970 the number of teachers has increased 51.9 percent, while the number of students has increased 9.5 percent. In 1970, the student/teacher ratio was 22.3 and it is significantly lower at 16.1 today. Although there are projections indicating an increased demand for teachers going forward, the overall projections do not necessarily create a supply issue across the board. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected that elementary school and high school teacher employment will grow 6 percent, which is just under the average of 7 percent for all occupations. Even though the BLS expects a significant number of teachers to retire, "many areas of the country already have a surplus of teachers who are trained to teach kindergarten and elementary school, making it difficult for new teachers to find jobs." The BLS does note that there are regional opportunities, like in urban and rural schools, as well as subject matter needs like math, science, and special education. This report examines the reasons why there might be teacher shortages in the future.