Solutions for Math Classrooms Experiencing Teacher Shortages

This October 2023 release from National Training Network (NTN) describes the shortage of qualified math teachers and introduces NTN’s KEMS (Key Elements to Mathematics Success) resource for classrooms with vacancies. A section added below sets out what research through 2025 shows about the math teacher shortage and the ways schools are covering it.

[Summerfield, North Carolina] – The shortage of qualified math teachers in classrooms has become a significant challenge for schools across the country. In an analysis of 37 states, researchers recently found teacher vacancies grew 35 percent since 2021-2022. (Nguyen, T. D., Lam, C. B., & Bruno, P. , 2023). Shortages can be detrimental for students when vacant positions are left unfilled or are filled with less qualified or uncertified candidates. Without trained and passionate math educators, students often miss out on learning standards-based math instruction. With no universal, long-term solution in sight, NTN is teaming up with schools to prevent disrupted learning.  

National Training Network (NTN), is a leader in standards-based solutions and professional development for mathematics. As former educators, they are passionate about addressing the challenges faced by math classrooms and teacher vacancies head-on. That’s why they are introducing an innovative solution called KEMS (Key Elements to Mathematics Success).

“With KEMS, you don’t have to worry about untrained teachers in your math classrooms. New teachers and substitutes can easily provide high quality, standards-based math instruction,” said Nicole Powers, President at NTN. 

After just a 30-minute on-demand KEMS training session, teachers in grades 3-8 are ready to share concept-based math lessons with their class. Students follow along with the included workbooks and can break out into groups using the consumables that reinforce abstract concept understanding.

While KEMS isn’t designed to completely replace the impact of dedicated math teachers, it does serve as a valuable tool to help support and enhance the learning experience in math classrooms with teacher vacancies across the country.

Through collective efforts and creative thinking, we can build a brighter future for math education. To learn more about KEMS and how it can benefit your school, please visit https://ntnmath.com/instructional-resources/kems

About NTN: National Training Network, a leader in standards-based solutions and professional development for mathematics, is dedicated to providing innovative tools and resources that empower math educators and enhance student learning. With a commitment to quality and excellence, NTN continues to develop cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of today’s classrooms.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact Stefanie Riley at stefanie.riley@themarketingposse.com

References: Nguyen, T. D., Lam, C. B., & Bruno, P. (2022). Is there a national teacher shortage? A systematic examination of reports of teacher shortages in the United States. (EdWorkingPaper: 22-631). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/76eq-hj32

Math teacher shortage in 2026: what the data shows and how schools respond

The math teacher shortage described in the release above is real, and the data gathered since October 2023 gives a clearer picture of its size and its causes. The release says vacancies are growing, that unfilled positions are often covered by less qualified staff, and that schools need support while they search. Research published through 2025 supports those concerns and adds detail on which schools are affected most and what has worked to fill classrooms with qualified teachers.

How large the shortage of math teachers is

The Learning Policy Institute, a research organization, estimated in its 2025 fact sheet that at least 411,549 teaching positions were unfilled or held by teachers not fully certified for their assignments, roughly 1 in 8 positions nationally. That total combines 365,967 teachers who were not fully certified in 48 states and the District of Columbia with 45,582 vacancies reported by 31 states and the District. For the 2024-25 school year, 40 states reported shortages in math, behind special education (45 states) and science (41 states). Because not every state publishes data, the totals are minimums.

That limit appears again in the earlier work the release cites. The paper by Tuan Nguyen, Chanh Lam and Paul Bruno, published in 2022 as an Annenberg Institute working paper, counted at least 36,000 vacant positions and at least 163,000 positions filled by underqualified teachers, and called both figures conservative because states report unevenly. The authors’ main recommendation was a better data system.

Where math vacancies are concentrated

A September 2025 issue brief from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), Access to Qualified Math Teachers for All Students, draws on federal survey data. In the 2024-25 school year, 34 percent of public school leaders reported feeling understaffed in math. As of March 2024, 36 percent of surveyed schools had at least one math teacher vacancy, rising to 39 percent in higher-poverty neighborhoods and 44 percent in schools serving mostly students of color. Leaders who felt most understaffed in math were more often in high schools, in the South, in urban areas and in large schools. The brief also notes that only 12 percent of states break down vacancy data by subject, which is why the national math picture is built from several partial sources.

Why the supply is thin

The CRPE brief reports that the number of graduates prepared to teach math fell 36 percent between 2012-13 and 2019-20, and that math teacher turnover was estimated at 8.1 percent in 2021-22, close to the national average of 7.9 percent but still, in the brief’s words, concerning. The Learning Policy Institute says attrition accounts for about 90 percent of annual teacher demand, and that fewer than one in five leavers retire. A white paper for the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (executive summary) reaches a similar conclusion: alternative certification programs are becoming more popular, the number of people entering university mathematics education degree programs is decreasing, and the overall production of certified math teachers is not rising to meet demand.

The demand side matters too. In 2024, only 39 percent of fourth graders and 28 percent of eighth graders scored at or above Proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in math, figures the CRPE brief cites as showing that average scores remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Math teacher shortage solutions that schools use

The CRPE brief and the CBMS summary describe several strategies, with different amounts of evidence behind them.

• Alternative certification. Enrollment in alternative programs not affiliated with higher education institutions rose 117 percent since 2012-13. CRPE says rigorous research yields mixed results on retention and student achievement, while the programs have opened the doors to large numbers of prospective teachers.
• Financial incentives. CRPE says incentives such as signing bonuses and loan forgiveness have shown effectiveness in short-term recruitment, but evidence on long-term retention is limited. It recommends long-term, structured incentives such as salary supplements and career-ladder opportunities.
• Residencies and grow-your-own programs. The CBMS paper names both as promising, along with partnerships among schools and universities. CRPE also describes apprenticeships that move paraprofessionals toward certification.
• International exchange teachers. More than 6,700 teachers came to U.S. schools on J-1 visas in 2023, and CRPE notes concerns about sustainability and training alignment, and says oversight and transparency vary widely.
• High-quality instructional materials. CRPE lists coherent, standards-aligned materials as one of three conditions for access to qualified math teaching, alongside staffing and teacher expertise.

Where a ready-made resource fits

The release above presents KEMS as a way for new teachers and substitutes to deliver standards-based lessons after a short training, and it states plainly that KEMS is not designed to replace dedicated math teachers. That is a fair description of a stopgap. The research reviewed here does not evaluate KEMS or similar short-training resources, so a school considering one should ask for evidence from comparable classrooms and plan a route toward permanent qualified staff. The edCircuit professional development guide covers ongoing support for teachers who are new to a subject.

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