Recent studies estimate that about one in eight teaching positions nationally are either filled by teachers not fully certified for the specific role or unfilled. As states continue to grapple with a specific and persistent teacher shortage, strategies to recruit and retain teachers remain top of mind for policymakers.
In our 50-State Comparison on Teacher Recruitment and Retention, we explore different policies that states have taken to address the shortage through a variety of strategies. These policies work to strengthen the pipeline for educators so that once they are recruited to the profession they stay in the classroom.
One rising trend in strengthening recruitment is paying novice teachers for their clinical experiences. States have recently begun pursuing opportunities to ensure that student teachers are compensated. This is often on top of newer approaches like:
- Teacher residencies, which are paid experiences that allow for an alternative pathway to become a certified teacher.
- Teacher apprenticeships, which allow for a grow-your-own approach where candidates gain a degree as well as credentials.
While apprenticeships and residencies have garnered a lot of attention in recent years, over 75% of teachers who complete an educator preparation program are still coming through traditional educator preparation programs. Student teaching, or the full-time clinical experience that teacher candidates undertake to gain experience as teachers prior to licensure, has traditionally been an unpaid, full-time position. This presents a financial barrier as candidates sacrifice paid work opportunities to complete their student teaching requirements.
States have taken several approaches to removing this financial barrier. One is banning the practice of unpaid student teaching. Illinois passed H.B. 3528 in 2025, which prohibits higher education institutions from having any policy that requires student teaching for pre-service teachers to be unpaid.
A more common approach has been providing financial compensation to candidates directly via stipends or scholarships. States have created stipend programs to support teacher candidates during their student teaching clinical experiences. Some include:
- Colorado’s teacher shortages, which are often concentrated in high need areas such as rural schools like other states. The state offers a rural student teaching stipend of $4,000 to student teachers who complete their student teaching experiences in a rural school district.
- Kentucky’s H.B. 263 (2025) created a student teacher stipend. It allows the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to grant $5,000 to eligible student teachers during their student teaching semester.
- Michigan’s MI Future Educator Stipend provides a $9,600 stipend to student teachers during their student teaching semesters.
- Utah’s Stipends for Future Educators was created in 2024. The stipend is $6,000 per student teacher. These candidates must be enrolled in educator preparation programs and working at local education agencies to complete their educator preparation program requirements.
While financial concerns are not the only barrier to entry into the teaching profession, it is one area policymakers can address to draw more candidates to the field. With myriad approaches to these supports, states are in a unique position to scaffold their teacher workforce starting when teachers first enter the field.
