Chapter 6: Teacher Attrition and Mobility in Urban Districts: Evidence from Wisconsin

In the last few years, there has been increasing concern about the shortage of high-quality teachers around the country. However, there are many who argue that the idea of a general teacher shortage is misleading, that the real problem is not one of quantity but of distribution. Emily Feistritzer and others point out that there are plenty of people available and qualified to teach but, for various reasons, these would-be teachers are not getting into the schools that need them (Feistritzer, 1998). The focus of policymakers therefore should not be on generating more teachers generally but on attracting teachers to the fields and districts that are in highest need.