UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Pennsylvania is facing a worsening teacher shortage that threatens both educational equity and the state’s economic future, according to a research brief by Ed Fuller, professor of education and director of the Penn State Center for Evaluation & Education Policy Analysis (CEEPA), and Emily Walsh, a master's student in education policy and leadership at Penn State. The report shows that while fewer districts reported vacancies this year and the overall number of vacancies declined as well, the number of teaching positions left unfilled by a certified teacher has not declined. In many cases, shortages are being masked by stopgap measures like emergency teacher permits, which allows someone without a teaching certificate to be a teacher on a temporary basis.
Teacher supply has fallen sharply over the past decade, according to Fuller. Pennsylvania certified nearly 19,000 new teachers in 2013, compared to only about 6,200 last year — a drop of more than 67%. That leaves the commonwealth at least 4,000 teachers short of what is needed annually, even as nearly 9,000 teachers leave the field each year.
“This is not just about empty classrooms,” Fuller said. “It’s about students being taught by underprepared teachers or seeing constant turnover, especially in special education, math and science. Those students are the ones paying the price.”
In the Q&A below, Fuller discussed his research and potential pathways forward to correct the shortage.
Q: Your research shows that while fewer districts reported vacancies in 2024–25 than the year before, the total number of vacancies stayed about the same — or even grew slightly. How does this concentration of vacancies in fewer districts reveal a “hidden” teacher shortage across Pennsylvania?
Fuller: The data used to write my original report has changed. Philadelphia overstated the number of vacant positions by 500. So, ultimately, both the number of districts reporting a vacancy declined as well as the number of actual vacancies. As I predicted last year, vacancies are increasingly concentrated in underfunded districts serving high percentages of children living in poverty and children of color. So, on paper, it looks like fewer vacancies but in reality, students are still sitting in classrooms without a fully prepared, certified teacher. That’s the hidden shortage. We don’t have enough supply coming into the system, and even in districts with relatively low attrition, administrators are struggling to find anyone to apply. It’s less visible, but just as damaging.
Q: Special education stands out as having the highest vacancy rates, with more than one in four entities reporting at least one open position. Why is the shortage especially acute in special education, and what are the consequences for the commonwealth’s most vulnerable learners?
Fuller: Special education is the one area where shortages are consistent across almost every district. In many cases, districts can’t even find a single applicant for a position. That’s alarming, because federal law requires schools to provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate education with a certified special education teacher. Right now, many districts are out of compliance. These are our most vulnerable kids, and they’re the least likely to get the help they need. One fix I’ve suggested is making the certification free — if you commit to teaching for three to five years, the state should cover your college costs. That would move the needle in a way scholarships haven’t so far.
Q: Districts serving more students in poverty and more students of color experience the greatest vacancy rates, according to your research. What do these disparities say about equity in Pennsylvania’s public education system?
Fuller: It says we’re failing the students who most need access to strong, qualified teachers. That means kids in those schools are far more likely to be taught by under-qualified teachers or to see constant turnover. And the irony is that these are also the schools where achievement gaps are already widest. By not addressing shortages equitably, we’re effectively reinforcing those gaps and telling whole groups of students that their education is worth less.
Q: How do these stopgap measures — like filling vacancies with under-qualified teachers on emergency permits or employing a rotating cast of substitutes — affect student outcomes, long-term learning and the climate of schools struggling with high turnover?
Fuller: The evidence is very clear — teachers on emergency permits are less effective than fully certified teachers, even when you control for experience. Students in those classrooms learn less, which makes it harder for them to advance in subjects like math or science, and it reduces the likelihood that they’ll go on to college or into high-demand fields. Constant turnover also damages school climate. When teachers leave, it destabilizes the staff, and students pick up on that. It becomes harder to build relationships, and achievement suffers. In the end, these short-term fixes cost the state far more in the long run — through lower graduation rates, higher criminal justice costs and lost economic productivity.
Q: How might vacancies in STEM fields and world languages impact Pennsylvania’s ability to prepare students for careers in the state’s future workforce?
Fuller: If we don’t have qualified teachers in STEM and world languages, we’re locking students out of the very careers that will drive Pennsylvania’s economy. Businesses want to locate where there’s a skilled workforce. Right now, too many of our students aren’t getting that preparation, and companies go elsewhere — Texas, California, wherever they can find talent. It’s a direct line: Teacher shortages lower student achievement, which lowers graduation rates, which reduces the pool of skilled workers. That means fewer businesses come to Pennsylvania, fewer innovations happen here, and ultimately, we lose tax revenue and growth. Education policy is economic policy.
Q: What reforms do you believe could have the most immediate impact, and what longer-term changes are needed to ensure every Pennsylvania child has access to a well-qualified teacher?
Fuller: In the short term, two things would make a difference right away: fully funding the student teacher stipend program and creating real financial incentives for teachers in shortage areas. Even a relatively small stipend — $2,500 or so — has been shown to keep teachers in schools with high turnover. For the long term, we need to tackle supply and attrition together. That means reducing the cost of becoming a teacher, streamlining certification without lowering standards, and improving working conditions — especially by training principals to support their teachers better. And above all, we need better data. Right now, Pennsylvania doesn’t track the dynamics of who enters the profession, how long they stay, and why they leave. Without that, we’re guessing at solutions. We need to invest in data and evaluation so we can actually build policies that work.