Skip to main content

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Approves Report on Teacher Shortages Affecting Students with Disabilities

Washington D.C. -- Today, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights unanimously voted to approve a forthcoming report entitled, "The Federal Response to Teacher Shortage Impacts on Students with Disabilities." The report will be published and released on September 29, 2025.

The Commission began this investigation to better understand how the national teacher shortage is affecting students with disabilities and to examine how the federal government, especially the U.S. Department of Education, has responded to this challenge.

This work builds on reports from the Commission’s Advisory Committees, which are active in every state, Washington D.C., and the U.S. territories. In January 2023, the Arkansas Advisory Committee released a report examining the state’s compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In January 2024, the Nevada Advisory Committee published a report on unfair learning conditions stemming from teacher and staff shortages.

In November 2024, the Commission held a public briefing in Washington, D.C. where educators, advocates, and people directly impacted by these issues shared their stories and recommendations. Then, in December, the Commission hosted a virtual listening session so parents, students, and teachers from across the country could speak about how these shortages have affected them.

The final report will be published on September 29, 2025, and posted on the Commission’s website.

Archived livestreams of these events are available on the Commission’s YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/user/USCCR/videos.

News Type
Commission News
Documents
Media Contact
Joe Kim
publicaffairs@usccr.gov