Latest Rockefeller Institute Multistate Teacher Labor Market Study Finds that Virginia Has an Unusually Strong Teacher Pipeline, though Significant Equity Gaps Persist
Albany, NY — A new report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government finds that, counter to national trends, the number of graduates from Virginia’s teacher preparation programs increased by 11 percent from 2009 to 2016. Nationally, graduates fell by 28 percent over the same period.
Despite its strong pipeline, however, there are equity gaps in the Commonwealth’s teacher workforce similar to those found in New York and South Dakota, two other states analyzed by the Rockefeller Institute. In addition to a reported statewide shortage in special education teachers, the report finds that school districts with higher poverty levels are less likely to attract and retain qualified teachers. These equity gaps have been recognized by Virginia’s state government, which has developed programs aimed at closing them.
“Discussions of a broad, national teacher shortage have rung alarm bells in recent years, but generalities fall short when it comes to crafting solutions,” said Rockefeller Institute President Jim Malatras. “At the Rockefeller Institute, we’re finding significant variations in teacher supply and demand at the local level, as well as variations in specialization, and this holds true for our analysis of Virginia. This level of analysis is critical to address inequities that, in many cases, have gone uncorrected for decades.”
The report’s findings include:
+ The number of teachers in the state, though fluctuating, has grown faster than student enrollment in recent years.
+ Student-teacher ratios have been relatively stable.
+ The state’s pipeline for teacher candidates has been one of the strongest in the nation, augmented by the relative ease with which teachers from other states can qualify for Virginia positions.
+ Vacancies in teaching positions and teacher turnover are high in Virginia compared to other states.
+ Even though there has been little overall growth in special education pupils in the state, and despite the fact that special-education-prepared graduates have increased in numbers in recent years, Virginia has indicated repeatedly that schools have struggled to hire qualified special education teachers.
+ High-poverty districts in Virginia are less likely to have teachers with full (rather than provisional) certification, they were less likely to have “highly qualified” teachers responsible for core academic subjects, and they were somewhat less likely to have teachers with advanced degrees.
The report was authored by Lucy Sorensen, faculty fellow at the Rockefeller Institute; Jamie Frank, visiting fellow at the Rockefeller Institute; Thomas Gais, senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute; and Hao Sun, student research assistant at the Rockefeller Institute. It is the third report in the Institute’s ongoing, multistate study of teacher supply and demand.
Special thanks to the staffs of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers program for their continued help and assistance on the nationwide project with the Rockefeller Institute of Government.