Educator Workforce Research
Trends in the Teacher Labor Market
SREB partners with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance at Vanderbilt University to produce new research about trends in the teacher labor market, including educator experiences and perceptions, using data from some of our member states.
The goal of these studies is to provide further insights, solutions and ideas for states and districts to better attract, support and retain strong educators.
Pathways and Retention for New Teachers
Insights From Southern States
May 2025 • Digital Report
Early-career teachers are entering the profession via an expanding variety of pathways. Do certain pathways provide more support than others? Do some entry routes into teaching yield higher rates of teacher retention? Why has early career teacher retention dipped so low and what can we do to change that?
SREB’s research partnership with Vanderbilt University explores these questions and more by analyzing state administrative data, survey results and teacher interviews.
Teacher Labor Market Trends
Insights From Two Southern States
May 2024 • Digital Report
Teacher shortages, high turnover rates and declining interest in the teaching profession have proven difficult for policymakers to address. These concerns are even more dire in Southern states.
Partnering with researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education, SREB studied teacher labor market data across the last decade in Kentucky and Tennessee. To help education leaders and policymakers make evidence-based decisions, we share seven key findings about shifts taking place in the teacher workforce.
The Next Generation of Teachers
A Study of Generation Z’s Interest in the Teaching Profession
April 2024 • Digital Report
The teaching profession is suffering from increasing vacancies, a wave of retirements and consistently hard-to-fill positions. Society relies on new generations to fill employment gaps — but Gen Z shows a record low interest in education careers compared to previous generations.
Partnering with researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education, SREB studied data in Kentucky and Tennessee for insights into generational trends, Gen Z’s career aspirations and how to make teaching an attractive profession.
Teacher Labor Market Trends Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
A Literature Review
October 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of the education system, including teacher recruitment, retention and hiring. More than three years since schools first closed their doors, newly available data and research are beginning to provide insights into the ways that the pandemic changed the landscape of the teacher workforce.
In this brief, we review the findings of published surveys and research studies exploring teacher labor market trends right before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recruiting the Next Generation of Teachers
Challenges and Innovations
October 2023
Crafting programs and policies that address the teacher workforce requires knowledge of Gen Z, their interest in entering the teaching profession, and how to support them as new teachers.
In this brief, the research team from SREB and Vanderbilt University reviewed the literature on Gen Z’s background, interest in teaching as a profession, and what states and districts are doing to try and recruit them.