Trends in reading teacher shortage: Using 20 years of evidence from PIRLS

Key Points

• The reading teacher shortage has intensified over the past two decades, affecting literacy teaching.
• Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) highlighted significant regional disparities in teacher availability.
• Analysis of longitudinal data shows that areas with high teacher shortages also report lower literacy rates among students.
• The findings suggest immediate action is necessary to address teacher recruitment and retention challenges.