teacher shortage

Enrollment at public teaching colleges in North Carolina dropped over the past decade. The NC Teaching Fellows loan-forgiveness program once attracted education majors to colleges across the state. After the General Assembly ended and then resurrected the program, some participating schools are now seeing a rebound.

Students may be on summer break, but school principals are hard at work using these months to find a qualified, well-prepared teacher for every classroom come fall. Teacher turnover was higher than usual in some North Carolina districts this past year.

Teacher and staff vacancies continue to plague public schools late into the fall semester, and some of the hardest positions to fill are in special education. Every qualified teacher or aid can make a significant difference for a child with disabilities.

Schools in the state are facing severe staffing shortages across-the-board. That's putting more on the shoulders of educators who are still on the job.

Schools across the state scramble every summer to hire in time for the first day of classes. After some teachers and staff left during the pandemic due to burnout or for better opportunities, others are wondering if schools will be short-handed this fall.

Cyrus Henson arrives at his classroom at 7:15 a.m. each day after an hour-long commute through the foothills of western North Carolina. He teaches a full…

From 2010-2015, North Carolina’s public university teacher training programs experienced a 30 percent decrease in enrollment. Meanwhile the state also saw…

From 2010-2015, North Carolina’s public university teacher training programs experienced a 30 percent decrease in enrollment. Meanwhile the state also saw…