Teacher Shortage in Pennsylvania Schools

Below are the definitions for each variable displayed in the district-level data tables. County-level variables share the same value across all districts within a county. "N/A" indicates data was not available for that district or year.

Variable	Level	Description
Emergency Certs (EC)	District	Number of emergency teaching certifications issued to the district. Emergency certifications are granted when qualified certified teachers are unavailable, serving as a key indicator of teacher shortage severity.
Education Spending	District	Total expenditure on education by the school district, including operational costs, facilities, and administrative expenses.
Instructor Spending	District	Total expenditure specifically allocated to instructional staff, including teacher salaries, benefits, and instructional materials.
Spending Per Student	District	Education spending divided by total student enrollment, representing the per-pupil investment in education.
Enrollment	District	Number of students enrolled in the school district for the given academic year.
Total Enrollment	District	Total student enrollment count including all grade levels served by the district.
Number of Instructors	District	Total number of instructional staff (teachers) employed by the district.
Low Income Enrollment	District	Number of students classified as economically disadvantaged, typically qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch programs.
% Enrollment	District	Percentage of total enrollment from low-income households (Low Income Enrollment / Total Enrollment).
Education Level	District	Highest education level attained by the district's superintendent (e.g., Master's, Doctoral).
Superintendent Salary	District	Annual salary of the school district's superintendent.
Supt. Years in District	District	Number of years the superintendent has served in the current district.
Supt. Total Experience	District	Total years of professional experience the superintendent has across all districts.
Property Tax	County	County-level property tax rate (mills). This value is the same for all districts within a county.
Violent Crimes	County	Total number of violent crimes reported in the county for the year. This is a county-level statistic shared across all districts.
All Crimes	County	Total number of all crimes (violent and non-violent) reported in the county for the year. County-level statistic.
COVID-19 Cases	County	Total confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the county. Only applicable for years 2019–2020 onward.
COVID-19 Deaths	County	Total confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in the county. Only applicable for years 2019–2020 onward.

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Data obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Education included information on emergency certification, education spending, instructor spending, enrollment figures, number of instructors, spending per student, total enrollment, enrollment of low-income students, superintendent annual salary, superintendent years of experience in the district, and superintendent total years of experience.

Pennsylvania Department of Education often used standardized reporting forms that school districts were required to complete. The data was also supplemented by direct submissions from schools.

Johns Hopkins University — COVID-19 Data

COVID-19 cases and deaths data were sourced from Johns Hopkins University to examine the impact of the pandemic on education. Johns Hopkins University aggregates data from multiple sources, including health departments globally, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other public health organizations.

According to the university website, the data collection involved both automated and manual processes, ensuring timely updates. They compiled, verified, and distributed data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, providing a comprehensive view of the pandemic’s impact worldwide, including specific regions like Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Attorney General — Crime Data

Violent crimes and all crime data were acquired from the Attorney General’s website to assess community safety factors. The Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system meticulously documented comprehensive details on crimes, arrests, and victimization throughout Pennsylvania.

The data collection process was standardized across law enforcement agencies using the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system or the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which categorized crimes, reports incidents, and aggregates data at the state level (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000).

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development — Property Tax Data

Property tax data, crucial for understanding socioeconomic factors, was gathered from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development website. Data was sourced from property tax records, budget reports, and direct submissions by local governments via mandatory municipal e-filing forms.

By integrating these diverse datasets, the analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted influences contributing to teacher shortages in Pennsylvania.

Cite This Work

If you use this data or interactive tool in your research, please cite it as follows:

APA 7th Edition:
Sekerli, S. B. (2025). Teacher shortage in Pennsylvania schools: Emergency certification data by county (2010–2022) [Interactive data visualization]. https://semihasekerli.github.io/pa-teacher-shortage/

BibTeX:
@misc{sekerli2025teachershortage, author = {Sekerli, Semiha B.}, title = {Teacher Shortage in Pennsylvania Schools: Emergency Certification Data by County (2010--2022)}, year = {2025}, url = {https://semihasekerli.github.io/pa-teacher-shortage/} }

About the Researcher

Dr. Semiha B. Sekerli, Ph.D. is an education researcher and data scientist specializing in equity and social justice in education. Her research focuses on systemic inequities in the education system, using data-driven approaches to illuminate disparities and inform meaningful reform.

This interactive research platform was developed to make 12 years of verified public data freely available to educators, policymakers, journalists, and fellow researchers. Dr. Sekerli believes that open access to education data is essential for evidence-based policy and meaningful reform.

Dr. Sekerli is actively maintaining and updating this website to keep the data current and accurate. Please feel free to contact her for any questions, details, or collaboration opportunities.

View Full Portfolio Contact for Collaboration

Teacher Shortage in Pennsylvania Schools

Statewide Summary

Legend

Top 5 Counties

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Johns Hopkins University — COVID-19 Data

Pennsylvania Attorney General — Crime Data

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development — Property Tax Data

Cite This Work

About the Researcher

🐈‍⬛ Research Assistant Chico

Statewide Summary

Legend

Top 5 Counties

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Johns Hopkins University — COVID-19 Data

Pennsylvania Attorney General — Crime Data

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development — Property Tax Data

Cite This Work

About the Researcher

Work With Dr. Sekerli

🐈‍⬛ Research Assistant Chico