Educator Shortage: Are Community Colleges A Solution?
By Hans A. Andrews and Greg Rockhold
The U.S. Department of Education defines the teacher shortage in three ways:
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Unfilled positions: Positions left open due to the inability to find enough teachers.
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Positions filled by under-qualified teachers: Utilizing persons who have no teacher credentials,
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Positions filled by teachers in a different subject than their certification: Two examples would be a history teacher teaching English or a music teacher teaching mathematics.
One of the most recent estimates is that the current teacher shortage in the United States is at 55,000 vacant positions. An additional 270,000 teaching posts are currently filled by under-qualified teachers, according to a report in Teachers of Tomorrow.
With the 2024-2025 school year closing, shortages in Illinois and most other states persist with no long-term solution offered or implemented. Florida is an exception, as it passed important legislation a few years ago allowing its community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in education in the areas most in need.
This ongoing shortage of qualified teachers deprives students of the quality education they should be receiving. A significant reason for the shortages has been the closure of approximately 60 teacher preparation programs, which has exacerbated the problem. The number of graduates from teacher training programs has decreased by approximately 50% over the past decade, exacerbating the situation.
Present Teacher Shortages In Illinois
Data from the 2024-2025 school year shows that Illinois has an educator shortage in 87% of its reporting educational agencies. This number was published in the latest reports of the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools. Taking a closer look at the teacher shortages and unfilled positions and positions “remediated,” the following was reported in the Daily Northwestern:
A total of 3,864 teaching positions were unfilled, resulting in a vacancy rate of 2.8%.
An additional 6,117 teacher positions were remediated through alternative measures such as hiring substitutes, hiring retired educators, combining classes, and increasing class sizes, among other short-term solutions.
Jim Reed, Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Trustees, announced that 59% of the Illinois community colleges are at least 30 miles from any public university. Illinois reporting on the progress of legislation to allow community college bachelor’s degrees found that 75% of the state community college students would pursue a baccalaureate degree if it could be offered at their local community colleges. Illinois community college students, who would otherwise be unable or unwilling to do so, express interest in obtaining a bachelor’s degree at their community college.
“Patches”
In the past decade, we have seen many of what we refer to as “patches” instituted by some states to help overcome their severe educator shortages. The following have been and/or are presently being tried in many states:
- Enticing recent retirees to return for one or more years
- “Growing your own,” which is a way to try identifying potential future teachers who are presently students or paraeducators within a school district
- Homebuyers incentives
- Signing bonuses that will help some school districts compete with nearby schools to attract new teachers
- Providing alternative route(s) to becoming a certified teacher, such as an apprenticeship program
What Are States Doing to Solve Teacher Shortages?
Florida has led the country in approving baccalaureate degrees in education to be offered by its community colleges. There are now 28 Florida community colleges offering baccalaureate degrees in education. The teaching areas they offer reflect the needs of teachers within these college districts and the state.
There are other signs that legislation is being considered in several states to bring their community technical colleges into preparing teachers:
- Arizona: Maricopa Community College has been approved to prepare teachers for elementary and special education.
- Indiana: This state has been in the process of passing legislation to allow its 27 Ivy Tech Community Colleges to prepare teachers across the state.
- Illinois: The House Education Committee delayed bringing forth a House Bill (HB3717) that would have allowed community colleges in the state to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees. Governor JB Pritzker has endorsed the effort. The reason was that four-year universities had been putting up fierce opposition. The matter is expected to be reconsidered by the Illinois General Assembly.
Where Do States Go From Here?
The shortage of qualified teachers in the states mentioned above highlights the need for a new approach. Although these states have tried to attract more teachers, they have had limited success. The number of teachers being trained with a bachelor’s degree has decreased by 50% compared to the previous decade, making it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve success.
It is now apparent that universities and four-year colleges can no longer draw in enough students to fill the teacher shortage gap, which has been a crisis for over a decade. The ability to attract diverse candidates to become teachers, as well, is an ongoing concern. Community colleges already have a strong diverse student body and are helping fill the diversity gap in many other career and vocational fields.
As both current and former teachers have highlighted, several significant areas need improvement. One of the top concerns is the need for better wages. Also, there is a need for increased support from administrators, parents, and the general public.
K-12 leaders should collaborate with community and technical college leaders at the local and state levels to work towards getting legislative approval and support from state governors. Hundreds of thousands of K-12 students across Illinois and all other states are waiting for their school leaders and legislative decision-makers to solve this problem.