The United States is facing a teacher shortage, and that shortage is indicative of a deeper, largely unaddressed problem: the share of men in teaching has been declining for decades. In the early 1980s, men made up 33% of public school teachers. Today, that share has fallen to 23%. The decline is both pervasive and concentrated — men are 11% of elementary teachers, fewer than 3% of preschool and kindergarten teachers, and only 6% of all teachers are men of color. The teaching workforce is drawing from roughly half of the talent pool.
This paper lays out a framework for action, organized around four strategies: sparking interest in teaching earlier, building pathways that meet men where they are (including career changers, veterans, former athletes, and substitutes), intentionally calling men into the profession through dedicated programs and targeted funding, and building the community and support structures that retain them. The case for more men in education is clear, the strategies are within reach, and the political moment is open. What has been missing is a coordinated national effort. That is what the Male Educator Network & Policy Institute exists to provide.
The authors thank Richard Reeves, Patrick Bourke, Anders Knospe, and Isaac Bledsoe of the American Institute for Boys and Men for their contributions to this paper.