2026 Tennessee Educator Survey Snapshot: Emergency Credentialed Teachers

The 2026 Tennessee Educator Survey Snapshots offer quick, accessible insights from educators on some of the most important issues in our schools—including artificial intelligence, cell phone policies, student discipline, match curriculum and supports, career and technical education, early career teachers, teacher evaluation and retention, and more. These one-pagers highlight what teachers are seeing and experiencing right now, providing valuable perspective to inform conversations about policy and practice across the state.

• Key Insight #1: About one-third of early-career teachers reported teaching under an emergency credential. However, over 80% of these emergency credentialed teachers said they attended or were enrolled in a teacher preparation program.
• Key Insight #2: Compared to non-emergency credentialed teachers, emergency credentialed teachers who attended a teacher preparation program are more likely to complete job-embedded clinical practice pathways and attend teacher preparation programs that are virtual.
• Key Insight #3: About 7 in 10 emergency credentialed teachers reported receiving district support towards licensure conversion. Of those who received support, the most common type of assistance was in the form of help from a mentor or coach.