Teachers on substandard credentials are unequally distributed, concentrated in districts serving more low-income students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? About one in three new-hire teachers statewide was on a substandard credential in 2017–18; districts where more than half of new hires had substandard credentials served more low-income students (72% vs. 52%) than districts hiring none. → Carver-Thomas 2020

Evidence¶

Carver-Thomas 2020¶

Carver-Thomas, D., Kini, T., & Burns, D. (2020). Sharpening the divide: How California's teacher shortages expand inequality. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/sharp-divide-california-teacher-shortages

q2 · i? · associational · r2

LPI analysis of CDE staff demographic and credential records (Figure 2) shows district-level distribution of new hires on substandard credentials; roughly 15% of districts hired none, while a roughly equal number hired mostly underprepared teachers, and these served "many more students from low-income families (72% vs. 52%)".

"In a roughly equal number of districts, representing many more students from low-income families (72% vs. 52%), more than half of new hires had substandard credentials."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Teacher attrition and turnover are primary drivers of California teacher shortages, with 12% turnover between 2016–17 and 2017–18 — related
• The share of new math and science teachers entering on substandard credentials doubled from about 20% to 40% between 2011–12 and 2015–16 while fully credentialed entrants dropped from 3,200 to 2,200 — related
• Most new special education teachers in 2015–16 entered on substandard authorizations, outnumbering fully prepared entrants 2:1 — related
• Every surveyed district filled some vacancies with underprepared teachers, and substandard credentials nearly tripled from 2012–13 to 2019–20 — related
• Estimated teacher hires increased 43% between 2013–14 and 2017–18, outpacing growth in credential issuance — related
• New California credentials stagnated at about 11,500 per year while estimated annual hires exceeded 20,000, so demand far outpaced supply — related
• California issued more than 13,000 intern credentials, permits, and waivers in 2017–18, nearly triple the 2012–13 number — related
• California's K-3 class size reduction policy sharply increased the proportion of teachers without full credentials, with low-income students most affected — related
• Half of all new California teaching credentials issued in 2023 went to teachers on substandard credentials — related
• Schools with high teacher turnover and large proportions of underprepared teachers are associated with lower achievement for all students and for students experiencing homelessness, after accounting for other factors — related
• Shortage districts fill vacancies with substandard-credential teachers (55%), substitutes (24%), and out-of-field assignments (22%), with high-poverty districts using substandard credentials most — related