The Shortage of Asian American Teachers in K–12 Schools: Trends, Patterns, Causes, and Recommendations

• In Event: Teaching and Learning for Asian and Asian American Students

Abstract

Using compiled, recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, this study shows the persistent trend of shortages of minority teachers in general and Asian teachers in particular over the last two decades and examines the patterns and severity of these shortages. While the percentage of Hispanics and Asians in the general population and the K-12 student population has increased rapidly, the percentage of teachers from these two groups has increased at a much slower pace. The shortage of Asian teachers has been consistent across states and regions and more or less consistent across different teaching areas and types and levels of schools. However, the most recent data encourage little optimism about the situational improvement in the near future.

Authors

• Xue Lan Rong, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Wenyang Sun, University of Utah

• Huanyu Cong, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill