District Progress and Variance in Reducing Teaching Vacancies in Illinois: A Second-Year Evaluation of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program
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| Title: | District Progress and Variance in Reducing Teaching Vacancies in Illinois: A Second-Year Evaluation of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Shereen Oca Beilstein, Sebastián Kiguel, Meg Bates, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) |
| Source: | Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, Discovery Partners Institute. 2025. |
| Availability: | Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, State of Illinois for Discovery Partners Institute. 200 South Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60304. Tel: 217-766-6779; e-mail: IWERC@mx.uillinois.edu; Web site: https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 49 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Joyce Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Employment Opportunities, Public School Teachers, Teacher Shortage, School Districts, State Programs, Pilot Projects, Grants, State Aid, Personnel Management, Program Effectiveness |
| Geographic Terms: | Illinois |
| Abstract: | The Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program (TVGPP) is a three-year policy initiative that directs additional state funding to public school districts struggling to staff unfilled teaching positions, or teaching vacancies. During the grant's first year of implementation in the 2023-24 school year (or SY24), the state distributed $45 million to 170 districts with the highest numbers of teaching vacancies. Teaching vacancies in these districts amounted to 80% of all teaching vacancies statewide in SY23. These districts serve approximately 870,000 students, which equates to about half of all students enrolled in Illinois. This report explores how districts allocated the first installment of grant funds to recruitment and retention programs. Also analyzed is how unfilled teaching positions change from one year prior to the launch of the grant, in SY23, to one year after, in SY25, by comparing districts that participated in the program (i.e., TVGPP districts) to districts that did not (i.e., non-TVGPP districts), using descriptive methods. The report also examines how reported causes of teaching vacancies and enacted spending strategies predict changes in unfilled teaching positions among participating districts. The findings provide early evidence about how the program has reduced unfilled positions overall, across grant program participants, as well as information about how specific district contexts and strategies might influence district success with the program. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679324 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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