Share of schools that reported having vacancies and having difficulty filling vacancies, 2011–2012 and 2015–2016
| 2011–2012 | 2015–2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Share of schools reporting vacancies | 67.2% | 78.8% |
| Share of hiring schools reporting 1 or more vacancies “very difficult” to fill | 19.7% | 36.2% |
Notes: Data are for public noncharter schools and are based on a count of schools, not on the total number of vacancies or the number of teachers the school failed to hire.
Data are for public noncharter schools and are based on a count of schools, not on the total number of vacancies or the number of teachers the school failed to hire. All principals were asked whether their school has or does not have any vacancies (“teaching positions for which teachers were recruited and interviewed by this school’s hiring authority”). The shares reported in the table represent the share of schools that had any vacancies, and, for those with vacancies, the share of schools that filled a vacancy but found it "very difficult" in at least one of the fields. Fields included were: (1) general elementary, (2) special education, (3) English or language arts, (4) social studies, (5) computer science, (6) mathematics, (7) biology or life sciences, (8) physical sciences, (9) ESL or bilingual education, (10) foreign languages, (11) music or art, (12) career or technical, and (13) other.
Source: Adapted from Figure B in García and Weiss 2019b, U.S. Schools Struggle to Hire and Retain Teachers. Analysis of 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) microdata from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).