About the Entry

This package by The Arizona Republic takes a close look at the numbers behind Arizona’s shortage of qualified teachers, as well as districts’ reliance on a state program authorizing alternative credentials to newcomers to the profession.

• Many Arizona Schools Hire Underqualified, Inexperienced Teachers to Fill Gaps
• Arizona Schools Hired 1,035 Underqualified Teachers in 2017-18 School Year
• How Qualified Are your School’s Teachers? Search Our Exclusive Database.
• How The Republic Tracked Teacher Certifications Across Arizona
• Video: Teacher Shortage Hits Gila Bend Unified School District Hard
• Video: The Gaggle – An Inside-the-Newsroom Conversation on Arizona’s Teacher Shortage
• Video: How Does Teacher Turnover Affect Arizona Schools?

Entry Credit

• Ricardo Cano, Education Reporter, The Arizona Republic

Comments from the Judges

“This made my data-loving heart sing. The painstaking effort it took for one reporter to comb through and manually enter key data to show just exactly where inexperienced teachers are is amazing.”

“Outstanding, months-long reporting to collect teacher qualification info from every district in the state.”

SEE THE FULL LIST OF 2017 FINALISTS