State-level disparities in access to certified and experienced teachers vary greatly, with some states showing two to three times as many uncertified or inexperienced teachers in high-enrollment schools¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? States vary greatly in uncertified-teacher hiring, and in 13 states high-enrollment schools have about twice as many inexperienced teachers, with at least three times as many in five states. → Cardichon 2020

Evidence¶

Cardichon 2020¶

Cardichon, J., Darling-Hammond, L., Yang, M., Scott, C., Shields, P. M., & Burns, D. (2020). Inequitable opportunity to learn: Student access to certified and experienced teachers. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/crdc-teacher-access

q2 · i? · associational · r2

State-by-state analysis in Appendix A (Table A1) recreating quintile comparisons within each state from 2016 CRDC data. The report also notes "In five states (Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Tennessee), there are at least three times as many inexperienced teachers" and that Iowa has almost no uncertified teachers while Arizona and Colorado have high proportions.

"In 13 states (Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Washington), there are about twice as many inexperienced teachers in schools with high enrollment of students of color compared to the share of inexperienced teachers in schools with low student of color enrollment."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• In 2016, schools with high enrollment of students of color were four times as likely to employ uncertified teachers as schools with low enrollment of students of color — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Regardless of location, schools with high student of color enrollment have a greater percentage of inexperienced teachers than low-enrollment schools, with urban schools most affected — related
• Across rural, suburban, and urban locales, schools with high student of color enrollment have higher percentages of uncertified teachers than schools with low enrollment — related
• In 2016, 17.2% of teachers in high student of color enrollment schools were in their first or second year, compared to 9.1% in low-enrollment schools, and the gap widened from 2014 to 2016 — related
• Teacher shortages fall disproportionately on high-poverty and high-minority schools, which had four times as many uncertified teachers in 2013–14 — related
• Whether disparities in Latino students' access to novice teachers arise between districts or within districts varies widely by state — related
• In 32 of 41 states, Black students are more likely than non-Black peers to attend schools with high percentages of uncertified teachers — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• California students in low-SES schools are about ten times as likely as students in high-SES schools to be taught by uncertified teachers — related
• Students in high-poverty schools are more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers, and teachers in high-minority schools are twice as likely to leave their school for another — related
• Whether disparities in access to novice teachers occur between districts or within districts varies widely by state — related
• Minority teachers are disproportionately employed in high-poverty, high-minority, urban public schools — related
• Students in the highest-poverty schools are almost twice as likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers — related