Filling Teacher Vacancies: What Is the Role of Proximity to Teacher Preparation Programs?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Shortages and Policy Responses (Table 13)

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the geographic proximity of teacher preparation programs (TPP) on schools' difficulty in filling teacher vacancies using data from the National Teacher Principal Survey (NTPS) for the 2015-2016 and 2020-2021 school years. Schools that reported not being able to fill teaching vacancies were more likely to be further from TPPs than those that found it easy to fill teaching vacancies. Rural schools and schools with the most students of color and unfilled teaching vacancies were farthest from TPPs. An instrumental variable (IV) analysis was conducted, though it did not yield significant results regarding the impact of TPP proximity on teacher vacancies.

Authors

• Tiffany S. Tan, Learning Policy Institute

• Christopher Redding, University of Florida

• Tuan D Nguyen, University of Missouri