Teacher Supply and Demand in California

An adequate supply of qualified teachers is central to improving education in California. Our supply and demand projections indicate that teacher shortages will be concentrated in specific subject areas and geographical regions. Shortages may undermine recent educational improvements. Moreover, if additional proposed reforms are enacted, such as reducing pupil/teacher ratios, disallowing emergency credentials, and requiring teachers to teach only in their areas of expertise, then teacher shortages will intensify and strong incentives may be necessary to recruit sufficient numbers of highly qualified teachers.