Demand for Teachers Still Unmet
January 18, 2015
South Carolina’s unmet demand for public school teachers continues to grow, according to a report released by The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). CERRA’s annual Supply and Demand Report is produced in collaboration with the state’s public school districts and special schools. Numbers reported by districts are higher in every category this year, including new teaching positions, teacher/administrator hires and vacancies, and teacher departures.
The number of public school teachers in the state who did not return to their classrooms rose by 5.5%, from just over 5,000 in 2013, to almost 5,300 in 2014. This year’s total, which constitutes about 11% of the state’s total teacher population, includes approximately 1,170 teachers who went to teach in another SC district and a little more than 1,100 who retired from the profession. Departures continue to be an area of serious concern when compared to the 2,200 graduates, on average, who completed a SC teacher education program over the last five years.
Another issue related to early teacher departures is the large portion who leave soon after entering the profession. Of those who left during or at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 school year, 33% did so in the first five years of their career and 13% after just one year or less in the classroom. These figures rose from 30% and 11% last year, and this trend continues to negatively impact districts, schools and, more importantly, students.
“These findings confirm the need to support and maintain strong recruitment and retention efforts across the state, to include providing effective programs that feed the teacher pipeline and support beginning teachers,” notes Jane Turner, Executive Director of CERRA.
The 2014 Supply and Demand Report can be accessed on the CERRA website at www.cerra.org/research/supplyanddemand/overview.aspx. There you also will find archived reports dating back to 2001.
About the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement
CERRA, located on the campus of Winthrop University, is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The purpose of CERRA is to provide collaborative leadership in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of outstanding educators for all children in South Carolina. More information about the Center and its programs is available at www.cerra.org. You can follow CERRA on Facebook (cerrasc) and Twitter (cerrasc).
