Digging into the SREB’s P-12 Educator Workforce Data portal offers more than just numbers. It frames a regional story — one that reveals both persistent challenges and clear signals for where states need to stabilize and strengthen their educator pipelines.  

An Early Childhood System Under Strain 

SREB’s new collection of early childhood educator data makes one thing clear: the South’s early learning landscape faces challenges that simultaneously affect children, families and the workforce. Access is limited, with only 38% of 4-year-olds and just 4% of 3-year-olds enrolled in state-funded preschool. This leaves millions of families relying on private arrangements — and 91% of families with young children pay out-of-pocket for childcare, including more than half of low-income families. 

Only 38% of 4-year-olds and just 4% of 3-year-olds are enrolled in state-funded preschool.

Yet even families willing to pay often struggle to find care: 46% of children under six live in childcare deserts, where there are too few licensed providers to meet the demand. In fact, over 10% of families who pay for childcare report quitting jobs, turning down opportunities, or otherwise changing employment because of childcare barriers. 

46% of children under six live in childcare deserts.

Taken together, these data points paint a picture of a system where limited public access, high private costs, uneven availability and real economic consequences collide. 

Policy considerations from research:  

• Expand publicly funded early learning options — particularly for 3-year-olds and communities in childcare deserts — to reduce families’ reliance on costly private care and increase access. 

• Increase financial support for families, such as childcare subsidies, refundable tax credits or sliding-scale tuition models. 

• Invest in growing licensed childcare supply through grants, start-up funds, facility support or incentives for providers to operate in high-need areas. 

• Integrate early childhood policy with workforce and economic development strategies, recognizing that childcare access is essential not just for children’s learning, but for parents’ employment and the region’s overall economic health. 

K-12 Educator Shortages Are Still Real — Across Multiple Dimensions 

SREB’s data underscores that teacher shortages in the South are systemic — not just vacancies on paper. Districts are grappling with not only a lack of certified teachers who want to teach, but also gaps in preparation pipelines, distribution of talent, and subject-area shortages. Other research has shown there are plenty of people who could teach and even are certified, but they aren’t staying or coming back to the profession. 

Policy considerations from research: 

• States need to go beyond plugging holes — they must invest in long-term strategies that raise the attractiveness of the profession to build a sustainable supply of teachers. 

• Incentives will likely need to be differentiated by a regional or district need. 

Teacher Quantity & Turnover Are Concerning 

SREB tracks staff ratios, overall numbers, vacancies and turnover, which recently dropped from a high of 18.5% to 15.2%. Even when staffing looks adequate overall, high turnover undercuts stability.  

Policy considerations from research: 

• Retention strategies are just as urgent as recruitment — states can invest in induction, mentoring and improved working conditions to reduce turnover. 

• Better data systems (or leveraging existing ones) could help states identify hot spots of attrition and target supports where they’re most needed. 

Teacher Preparation Pipelines Are Under Strain 

Teacher preparation data shows trends in how many people are enrolling in and completing teacher prep programs — a number still in decline over the past decade.  

Policy considerations from research: 

• States need to review capacity, funding and incentive structures for teacher preparation institutions. 

• Clinical practice must be strengthened: residencies, better practicum experiences, and tighter integration with K-12 systems can help ensure that preparation equals readiness. 

Quality Worries: Experience & Certification Gaps 

The teacher quality data shows proxy measures for quality, but it flags concerns around rising numbers of uncertified teachers and an increase in new teachers. These aren’t just minor asides — they’re core to understanding long-term workforce health. When states lean more heavily on emergency-licensed or out-of-field teachers, classroom stability and instructional quality can suffer. 

The teacher quality data shows proxy measures for quality, but it flags concerns around rising numbers of uncertified teachers and an increase in new teachers.

Policy Considerations from research: 

• Strengthening induction and mentoring is critical: novice teachers need more support when their certification or preparation is weak. 

• States need to consider many credential pathways, alternative certification or “bridge” programs — but guardrails are important, so quality isn’t compromised. The key to quality preparation is extensive on-the-job training before becoming a teacher of record. Paid year-long residencies are the gold standard. 

Talent Distribution Is Uneven 

One of the most powerful pieces of  SREB’s P-12 Educator Workforce Data portal is talent distribution: how teacher talent (in terms of experience, certification and preparation) is distributed across schools with different poverty levels. This data is crucial because it reveals discrepancies. Schools serving higher-poverty students often have less access to experienced or fully certified teachers.  

Policy considerations from research: 

• States can use this data to improve staffing policies. Weighted funding, hardship stipends, and targeted recruitment and incentives can help. 

• Teacher leadership and differentiated roles could help retain experienced educators in high-poverty schools, providing stability where it’s most needed. 

Schools serving higher-poverty students often have less access to experienced or fully certified teachers. 

The Data Isn’t Perfect — But It’s Actionable 

SREB is transparent about the limitations of its dataset. In our footnotes page, we note that some measures are proxies, that not every state reports the same data, and that there are inconsistencies. But even with these caveats, the data offers strong signals that policymakers can act on. 

Policy considerations from research: 

• States can invest in improving their own data systems (linking teacher prep, certification and employment data) to find targeted solutions. 

• Regional bodies like SREB play an important convening role — they can help standardize data definitions and push for better cross-state comparability. 

Compensation Gaps Are Part of the Story 

SREB’s Educator Compensation Dashboard expands knowledge regarding regional workforce issues. Average educator pay in the South lags the national average — and retirement benefits, health insurance and take-home pay vary significantly across states. This gap contributes to both recruitment and retention risks.   

Early childhood educators in higher paid HeadStart programs in the South (compared to private centers) are paid on average $20,000 less than K-12 teachers. Southern K-12 teachers are paid 15% less than teachers in the rest of the nation, and Southern school leaders are paid 9% less on average.  

Policy considerations from research: 

• Compensation reform must be part of any workforce strategy. States should consider not just base pay but total compensation (retirement, benefits, take-home pay and other incentives). 

• Impactful pay structures are aligned with broader goals (reducing turnover, supporting high poverty schools, growing the profession) and working condition support. 

A K-12 Leadership Workforce Under Stress 

The new data on K–12 principals and school leaders in the South underscores a few critical trends. Average school leader attrition in SREB states in 2023-24 was about 15%, signaling significant turnover at the top. Turnover in leadership signals inconsistencies and instability for the teacher workforce. A dual focus of leadership development and succession planning is needed. States that act now can improve school stability, effectiveness and ensure strong instructional leadership for years to come. 

Average school leader attrition in SREB states in 2023-24 was about 15%.

Policy considerations from research: 

• Invest in retention strategies — not just hiring new leaders but keeping effective ones. That could mean better onboarding, leadership mentoring and coaching, and more targeted support for principals. 

• Maintain strong leadership standards, performance evaluations and preparation program improvements. For example, tie funding or support to programs that produce leaders who reflect student demographics, stay long-term and improve school culture, climate and teacher retention. 

• Provide teachers with leadership paths to advanced roles, building stronger schools and future leadership pipelines. 

SREB’s Data Highlights Both Risk and Opportunity 

The data offers a clear message: without intentional, policy-driven action, the South’s teacher pipeline faces instability. But the data also shows clear levers for states to pull. 

• Focus on retention — not only recruitment. Retaining great teachers will in turn attract more to the profession. 

• Build more robust, differentiated teacher preparation pathways that focus on long-term clinical preparation. 

• Prioritize teacher support and incentives in high poverty schools to positively influence talent distribution and close achievement gaps. 

• Improve compensation in thoughtful, targeted ways that connect to advancement and improve quality of life for educators. 

• Invest in better data — because what gets measured can be improved.