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What Districts Can Do About the Substitute Teacher Shortage

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Everywhere you turn, there’s more news about the substitute teacher shortage because there just aren’t enough substitute teachers to go around. Even though districts work hard to try to increase their substitute pools — They reach out to news outlets, post on social media and attend job fairs.

But even when they do find new substitutes, it seems like there’s never enough. Maybe solving the substitute shortage isn’t just about having more substitutes.

Data from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute shows over half of all substitutes just aren’t working in any given month

Data from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute shows over half of all substitutes just aren’t working in any given month — and that percentage is even higher for small districts. The question is, why aren’t substitutes working? It could be that they just don’t know where to start, or don’t feel confident taking jobs.

In that case, districts can take steps to address potential substitutes’ concerns and help promote substitute teaching as a positive career choice.

Great results can be:

  • Increased sub pool from recruitment efforts
  • Higher fill rates for fewer empty classrooms
  • More engaged substitutes
  • Improve student learning

Understand the Struggles (and Rewards) of Substitute Teaching

It’s no secret that substitutes have it hard. Every day, they’re put into new situations with unfamiliar faces, and rarely have the chance to build a connection with the students they’re teaching.

One substitute described their experience like this:

“You know that scene in Fight Club where he concludes that the people he meets are single-serving friends? Subbing was like single-serving classroom management, single-serving relationships, single-serving emergency plans. It’s kind of like teaching, but everything is single-serving and thus a little different.”

For some, these “single-serving” experiences — one-off, short-term stints in different scenarios with different people — are perfect. Prospective teachers get to experience a variety of classrooms and grade levels, to see where they might fit best as a full-time educator. They can see how more experienced teachers work, too.

But for many people, that level of uncertainty is nerve-wracking, especially for those new to teaching. A lack of training for substitutes can make it even more challenging. had not receive any training from their school system before taking an assignment — not even a district orientation training. And of the substitutes who did receive some sort of training from the district, over seventy percent received a half-day or less of training.

So, it’s no wonder that Internet forums geared toward educators are filled to the brim with new substitutes begging for advice and encouragement.

“Tomorrow is my first day ever (!!!!) substitute teaching, and now I’m sort of realizing I don’t know what to do at all? I have very limited experience working with youth, and like zero classroom experience in general. I don’t know what grade I’ll be getting at all, either. But if any of you have any advice (as in what to do or what to definitely NOT do) that would be great.”

“I am testing the waters to see if I want to be a teacher, so I’m subbing for a year or so to see if I can handle it and or where I would like to teach. However, there was no formal training and I’m a little nervous and feel it’s a sink or swim situation.”

After spending some time in the classroom, though, many substitutes find the work to be rewarding. One substitute writes, “I get so much joy out of what I do. I love connecting with students, helping them grow, actually teaching them when the lesson calls for it.”

Another substitute writes:

“I’ve been a sub for 2 years and love it! It’s made me change my career path to pursue teaching. I love the kids, love that I can try out different grades and subjects, and decide my own schedule (my district uses an online job program where we can see all available jobs and decide where/when we work).”

What about substitutes in your district?

Consider sending a survey to all your substitutes — including those not currently working — and ask them for feedback about:

  • The challenges they face when substitute teaching.
  • What they would like to see as training opportunities.
  • and what they find most rewarding about their work.

Increase Retention by Supporting and Engaging Your Substitutes

But go beyond outreach to non-working substitutes. Support working substitutes, too:

These investments can make substitutes more connected, more effective, and more likely to take on more jobs in your district. Higher fill rates and fewer turnovers turnover means reduced effort on recruitment and onboarding each year.

Use Your Substitute Retention Strategy for Recruitment

Once your substitutes are engaged and working more often, you hopefully won’t have to worry as much about finding more. But there will always be a need for more substitutes as people retire or find other work. So, when you do need to recruit, think about the message you’re sending to prospective substitutes, and look for ways to attract more people to the job.

  • Promote substitute teaching as a rewarding job, and emphasize its strengths: flexibility and exploring teaching or working in a school as a career.
  • Tell your substitute story — publicly thank and recognize the substitutes in your district regularly to show that they’re appreciated
  • Market all substitute training and professional development offerings to make prospective subs feel more confident applying.
Annie Grunwell

Annie Buttner

Annie is a writer and part of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. She’s passionate about learning, exploring data and sharing knowledge. Her specialties include substitute management, the K-12 staffing shortage, and best practices in human capital management.

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