2026 National Educator Shortage Summit

The National Educator Shortage Summit: Building a Sustainable Educator Workforce is a highly interactive convening of PK-20 stakeholders, bringing together PK-12 administrators, higher education leaders, state and local education agencies and workforce partners to co-design solutions that strengthen the educator pipeline. This event moves beyond identifying the challenges of educator shortages to focus on actionable, data-informed strategies that sustain and support the education workforce. The Summit emphasizes six critical shifts essential to building a sustainable educator workforce: Development & Career Management, Employee Experience & Leadership, Well-being & Work-life Integration, Compensation & Benefits, Recognition & Appreciation, and Strategic Retention. Through structured collaboration, participants will engage in deep dialogue and practical planning that bridges preparation and practice, transforming one-off initiatives into coordinated, sustainable solutions. NESS provides a rare national space where policy, practice, and research intersect, enabling participants to share promising practices, analyze workforce data, and build shared strategies that are locally grounded yet nationally aligned. The event serves as a call to collaborative action, inviting all stakeholders to co-create a future in which every student is supported by a well-prepared, well-supported, and thriving educator.