The United States is facing a teacher shortage of historic proportions — one that now threatens both K–12 education and the nation’s emerging workforce agenda.
The most recent estimates place the national K–12 teacher shortage at approximately 55,000 unfilled positions. More troubling, as of June 2025, 48 states and the District of Columbia employ an estimated 365,967 teachers who are not fully certified for their assigned teaching roles, according to a 2025 Learning Policy Institute report. This is not a temporary disruption — it is a structural failure.
State decisions are worsening the crisis
Recent state-level policy decisions indicate that these shortages will continue into future years. Certified teachers are in high demand in all 50 of the states. There are close to 90% of the schools reporting filling their teacher vacancies is a serious concern. Finding substitutes continues to also plague these schools. As reported in some 70% of schools, understaffing is also a continuing concern.
The following five states help highlight the severity of the problems that have continued to grow over the past decade:
Texas: Texas enters the 2025–26 school year with more than 8,000 vacant teaching positions and has filled approximately 35,000 classrooms with uncertified teachers. Rural districts are hit hardest, where 55% of newly hired teachers lack proper certification.
Arizona: Arizona officials describe their teacher shortage as “catastrophic.” A recent Arizona Department of Education report shows thousands of classrooms operating without permanent teachers just months into the school year.
Indiana: Indiana’s House Enrolled Act 1001 (2025 budget bill) mandates that universities graduate a minimum number of students in each program over three years or face program termination. As an immediate consequence, Indiana University eliminated 13 teacher education degrees and consolidated another 30, effective in the 2026-27 academic year.
California: California is facing a significant teacher shortage in 2025, with nearly 407,000 teaching positions unfilled or filled by underqualified instructors, particularly in high-need areas like special education and math.
Florida: Florida continues to face a significant teacher shortage in 2025, with over 3,000 vacancies and a rising number of uncertified teachers in classrooms. As of 2025, Florida is experiencing a persistent teacher shortage, with approximately 3,197 advertised instructional vacancies across its K-12 school systems.
Similar shortages exist in nearly every state, suggesting that the issue is national, systemic and policy-driven. Several states are cutting teacher preparation programs at universities, citing declining enrollment rather than workforce need.
A federal workforce shift raises the stakes
In April 2025, Executive Order No. 14278 initiated a significant realignment of federal education and workforce systems. The order directs the U.S. Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) departments to administer jointly:
- Adult education and family literacy programs under Title II of WIOA
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs funded through the Carl D. Perkins Act (Perkins V)
While ED retains oversight, DOL’s expanded role signals a decisive shift toward workforce preparation. This shift, however, arrives during the most severe teacher shortage in modern history.
The missing link: Workforce-ready teachers
This new federal agenda requires a large, highly skilled cadre of career and technical education (CTE) teachers. The question is unavoidable: Where will these teachers come from — and who will prepare them?
Four-year universities, already reducing teacher preparation programs, are unlikely to meet this need except in isolated cases. By contrast, community and technical colleges have spent decades building workforce-aligned certificate and associate degree programs and expanding them as industry demands change.
Examples of existing programs include:
- Accounting, agribusiness economics, animal science, automotive technology
- Information technology, early childhood education, dental hygiene
- Nursing (registered nurse pathways), computer-aided design and manufacturing
- Artificial intelligence, radiologic science, paralegal studies
A survey of Illinois community colleges found that dual-credit offerings extend well beyond general education, including:
- Cisco networking
- Welding and automotive technology
- Electronics engineering technology
- Nursing assistant and cosmetology
These programs already enroll secondary students and provide a scalable foundation for future expansion.
Becoming a CTE teacher
CTE teachers specialize in applied, industry-aligned instruction. Unlike traditional academic roles, CTE emphasizes:
- Hands-on learning
- Industry standards and credentials
- Direct alignment with regional workforce needs
Requirements vary by state but typically include a bachelor’s degree, licensure and/or documented industry experience. In some fields, industry experience can substitute for formal degrees, creating an accelerated pipeline.
Why two-year colleges matter now
Community and technical colleges are uniquely positioned to expand the CTE teaching workforce because they already serve:
- Dual-credit students who trust their instructors and can transition into teaching pathways
- Adult learners beyond traditional college age
- Working parents who need flexible, local programs
- Lower-cost pathways, with California documenting complete baccalaureate preparation at $10,500–$12,000 total
Ready to roll
With large numbers of CTE teachers nearing retirement and no meaningful national pipeline to replace them, the crisis will worsen without intervention. The solution is not theoretical.
With targeted legislative approval and modest investment, community and technical colleges can rapidly develop baccalaureate-level CTE teacher preparation programs — meeting both K–12 and workforce demands.
- The infrastructure already exists.
- The students already exist.
- The workforce demand is undeniable.
What remains is the political will to act.
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Dr. Hans Andrews (left) is a Distinguished Fellow in Community College Leadership at Olney Central College in Illinois. He is a former college president. He launched the first dual-credit program in the nation between community colleges and high schools.
Dr. Greg Rockhold has served as a superintendent, a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals board, president of the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators and as the executive director of the New Mexico Association of Secondary School Principals.
