- Working Paper
Recruiting the Next Generation of Teachers: Challenges and Innovations – A Literature Review
Abstract
Nationwide staffing challenges and teacher shortages have left over 36,000 full-time teaching positions unfilled, with declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs and an increasing number of teachers not returning to the classroom. It’s critical to recruit and support individuals eager to fill this gap, especially as Generation Z—comprised of those from late teens to late 20s—represents the newest wave of potential teachers. While several surveys indicate that Gen Z prioritizes different factors in career choices compared to earlier generations, there is a lack of research in the U.S. examining their interest in teaching and what they seek in this profession.
Guiding Questions
- Who is Gen Z and what matters to them?
- What is Gen Z’s interest in the teaching profession?
- What support and structures do Gen Z teachers need?
- What are states and districts doing to recruit Gen Z to teaching?
- What does this mean for the pipeline of teachers?
Suggested Citation
Southern Regional Education Board & Tennessee Education Research Alliance. (2023). Recruiting the Next Generation of Teachers: Challenges and Innovations. (Tennessee Education Research Alliance Working Paper).