Every year, the U.S. Department of Education collects teacher shortage areas from all 50 states and territories in order to:
- Highlight the specific staffing needs in states and territories by subject areas and disciplines, grade levels, and/or geographic regions.
- Serve as a resource for educator professionals about potential opportunities in each state and territory.
- Serve as a resource for advising federal student aid recipients of the potential to reduce, defer, or discharge student loan repayments by teaching in certain areas.
NCSL has created an interactive visual to support states and territories in using the federal teacher shortage area data analyze national and state level trends.