Dive Brief:

• When Hawaii found itself facing a teacher shortage, the Hawaiian Department of Education publicized the dearth of educators in the media, which has now resulted in an influx of nearly 5,000 job applications, many of which come from people who have no teaching experience.
• Department Spokeswoman Dela Cruz told the Hawaii Tribune Herald fielding the influx of applications — which poured in from over 98 countries — has presented a "frustrating" problem for staff.
• Statewide, a total of 1,600 vacancies are estimated for the 2016-17 school year.

Dive Insight:

The unique problem of having too many applications speaks to the impact of environment on teacher recruitment and retention. Hawaiian officials are offering a starting salaryof $35,324 - $53,394 for teachers with at least a bachelor's degree, and up to $63,665 for those with a Ph.D or Ed.D. The salary offer is slightly lower than the national average, in a state with the highest cost of living in the nation, provingsalary is not the biggest draw for teachers in the U.S. 

In cities like Detroit, for example, in which there has been a long-documented problem of teacher shortages, the average salary for teachers with at least a bachelor's degree is $39,647-$72,516, with the potential to earn up to $73,516 with a doctorate degree. Detroit's cost of living is significantly lower, meaning the dollars would stretch farther, but proving the importance of quality of life factors for teachers.

States are handling problems of teacher shortage differently. In Nevada, an ongoing teacher shortage has led the state to declare a state of emergency, which subsequently allows for the hiring and rapid instatement of out-of-state teachers who can begin working without state licenses. California, on the other hand, has proposed the creation of a broad teacher database, a move that sparked contention and debate. 

In Indiana, studies are being done to understand why the number of applicants for teacher licenses fell by 50% between 2009 and 2013, and in Philadelphia, some students don't have teachers for 50% of classes because of teacher and substitute shortages.

Recommended Reading

Hawaii Tribune Herald: State reviewing thousands of applications for teacher jobs