Teacher Shortage Puzzle Pieces Words Hire More Educators 3d Illustration
More than a third of all Pa. districts had teacher vacancies
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Asia Tabb
Teacher Shortage Puzzle Pieces Words Hire More Educators 3d Illustration
Aired; April 8th, 2025.
As school districts across Pennsylvania continue to grapple with teacher shortages—especially in special education—researchers and educators alike are digging into the data to understand the full scope of the problem and what’s driving it. Dr. Edward Fuller, Associate Professor at Penn State and an expert in education policy, has been examining teacher vacancy trends across the state.
“Over the last couple of years, particularly right after or during the pandemic, districts were complaining about not being able to find enough teachers,” said Dr. Fuller. “So I really wanted to look at data and see what the extent of that shortage was and how it was distributed across different parts of Pennsylvania, and then by subject area.”
That data didn’t come from just anywhere. In fact, it’s the first time Pennsylvania has systematically gathered this information.
“The legislature mandated that PDE collect it,” Fuller explained. “They started last year—it was the first time they ever collected vacancy data—and now they’re collecting it every four months.”
According to Fuller’s findings, more than one-third of school districts in the state reported at least one teacher vacancy.
“Last year, 44% of districts reported at least one vacancy,” he said. “This year, a little bit fewer did—38%. But that’s still more than one out of three districts. Good news is it’s gone down a little bit. Bad news is that that’s still a lot of districts.”
The most concerning finding is in the area of special education.
“Districts have largely had trouble filling special ed positions for quite a while,” Fuller said. “There’s a lot more involved in it—paperwork, regulations, the risk of violating federal law. It can be isolating, and you don’t always get the support you need from principals who aren’t trained in special ed.”
Despite the heavier workload, compensation remains the same.
“The job’s a little more challenging, and you don’t get any different pay,” he noted. “And as a dad of two kids with special needs, it’s really disconcerting that the kids who need the most help are the least likely to get it.”
The pipeline of new educators entering the field has also taken a sharp downturn.
“From 2012 to now, there’s been a 67% decline in the number of people entering teacher preparation programs in Pennsylvania,” Fuller said. “That’s a huge decline—from about 19,000 down to about 5,500.”
It’s not just special ed. Fuller points out that every subject area, aside from gifted and talented programs, faces challenges in staffing certified teachers.
Some regions are harder hit than others.
“The Southeast region is facing the worst shortages,” Fuller explained. “That includes Philadelphia and surrounding areas. There’s increased enrollment, more poverty, more students of color, and historically underfunded districts. Plus, there are a lot of charter schools, which have their own challenges.”
Charter schools tend to report even more teacher vacancies, and the reasons may include lower pay, less support, and burnout-inducing working conditions.
“Some charter schools expect you to work 16 hours a day,” Fuller said. “You’re on call even at home. You really don’t have a life.”
Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation.
