Educator Quality

Office of Educator Quality Phone: 573-751-2931

Welcome to the Office of Educator Quality! This office is pleased to serve educators all across Missouri in a number of important ways! The Office of Educator Quality is responsible for evaluating educator preparation programs. The Office of Educator Quality issues certificates (licenses) to all educators who work in the state's public school systems, as well as assisting with the review of certificate-holders who are charged with misconduct. This office is responsible for the development of innovative professional development programs for educators (teachers and administrators) at the state level, like the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) and the Missouri Teacher Development System (MTDS). It also assists in the development of teacher, principal and administrator standards, as well as development of evaluation models for school personnel.

The Office of Educator Quality is also responsible for a number of recognition programs including Missouri Teacher of the Year, Support Staff of the Year, Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow, the Milken Award, and others.

These pages include information on the requirements and processes for becoming certified as an educator as well as resources for professional development for current educators.

These important areas of service provided by the Office of Educator Quality ensure that Missouri students experience and engage with high quality educators who are certified and supported as they pursue their career in education.

Annual Performance Reports for Educator Preparation Providers

The Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators (MoSPE) outline the expectations for Educator Preparation Providers (EPP) in Missouri. In order to ensure that EPPs are meeting these expectations, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) established the Annual Performance Report for Educator Preparation Programs (APR-EPP). The APR-EPP is based on the approved Missouri standards for educators and is the primary basis for DESE's annual recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding the continued accreditations of EPPs.

Become an Educator

Teaching the youth of Missouri is more than just a job. It allows you to have a rewarding career where you can make a genuine difference inspiring the next generation. Teachers hold an exciting and crucial role in our society that truly helps shape the future.

Career Ladder

The Missouri Career Development and Teacher Excellence Plan (Career Ladder Program) is a voluntary performance pay matching program established by statute. The General Assembly makes an annual appropriation for the purpose of providing the state's share of the Career Ladder Program. The Career Ladder Grant Program supports salary supplements for teaching staff to provide compensation for additional responsibilities and voluntary efforts performed for which a teacher does not already receive some type of compensation.  The career advancement program is a matching fund program. Up to 60 percent of the additional salary supplement shall come from state grant funds, and the remaining amount not less than 40 percent and any related benefit costs coming from local sources. This grant is subject to appropriation on an annual basis.

This Career Ladder Program Annual Report and the Final Allocations Chart provide information on district activities, state and district funding, and are used to monitor progress on the impact of the Career Ladder Program.

Educator Job Board

Missouri Statewide Educator Job Board

In January 2025, DESE launched a new Statewide Educator Job Board in partnership with Nimble. This platform is a one-stop-shop for current and rising educators to find jobs they’ll love in Missouri. It automatically aggregates all teacher postings across the state and gives teachers the ability to find jobs that meet their preferences. They can see critical information — like commute distance and salary scales — all in one place. 

Federal and State Reports

The data presented in the 2025 Vacancy Report was gathered through the Educator Vacancy page (Screen 21) of the Core Data System. This year’s data reflects a 100% district response rate. Those districts employ approximately 72,000 teachers and serve over 890,000 Missouri students. The three areas with the largest number of vacancies are Elementary Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education.

Missouri Statute (161.098 RSMo) directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to prepare and distribute an annual report to the Missouri General Assembly about the status of the teacher workforce in Missouri public schools by December 15 of each year.

The U.S. Department of Education has approved the 2025 Teacher Shortage Report for the State of Missouri which identifies certification areas of critical shortage for the 2026-27 school year. Based on this designation, teachers who are teaching within shortage areas identified by this report are eligible for loan forgiveness. Federal loans that qualify under this designation include the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), Federal Perkins Loan, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program, Stafford Loan, and Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS). For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education – Teacher Shortage webpage.

Certification areas not listed as Critical Shortage that fall in a universally accepted shortage area, i.e., mathematics; science, including, but not limited to, computer science; foreign language; bilingual education; English language acquisition; reading specialist; or special education are eligible for federally funded TEACH grants.

Legislation was passed and signed into law in 2022 (Section 168.037, RSMo) that directed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to create a web-based survey to be completed by individuals each day they worked as a substitute teacher and a web-based survey for each school district to complete each year. The online surveys were to collect anonymous, unbiased data that school districts, charter schools, and state officials could use to improve the effectiveness of substitute teachers in supporting instruction and learning and to improve any factors contributing to the shortage of substitute teachers.

The first report summarizes the findings from over 34,000 survey responses collected during the 2024-25 school year. It is unclear how many individuals completed this survey, as substitute teachers were asked to complete the survey each day they served. The school district substitute teacher report summarizes the findings from 360 school district and charter school responses from the 2024-25 school year. 

Preparing, developing and supporting effective educators is one of the ways the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is working to ensure that all Missouri students are successful and become college and career ready. DESE annually compiles data on the effectiveness of efforts to recruit, prepare and retain effective teachers for all public schoolchildren in the state, especially in high-poverty, high-minority or rural districts.

Recognition Programs

Missouri Teacher of the Year:

The Missouri Teacher of the Year program elevates and celebrates exceptional educators who inspire excellence in classrooms across the state. It shines a spotlight on teachers whose dedication, creativity, and leadership strengthen Missouri’s schools and communities. Through this recognition, the program uplifts the teaching profession and honors the vital contributions of outstanding educators at every level.

Missouri School Support Staff of the Year:

The Missouri School Support Staff of the Year program celebrates the invaluable professionals who keep schools running and help students thrive every day. It honors individuals whose dedication, care, and behind‑the‑scenes excellence strengthen school communities across the state. By elevating these essential contributors, the program highlights the vital role support staff play in creating safe, welcoming, and successful learning environments.

Milken Educator Award: 

The Milken Educator Award honors exceptional teachers who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to students. Often called the “Oscars of Teaching,” the award elevates educators who are transforming classrooms and inspiring excellence in their school communities. By shining a national spotlight on these remarkable professionals, the program celebrates the profound and lasting impact great educators have on students’ lives.

Missouri Talent Pool Recommendation: 

The Missouri Talent Pool is a confidential way for districts to submit the names of exceptional early‑ to mid‑career educators who deserve to be elevated and considered for future recognition opportunities. It highlights teachers and principals whose talents, leadership, and impact often go unnoticed, ensuring Missouri has a strong group of emerging educational leaders to recommend when national or statewide programs request nominees. While not an award itself, the Talent Pool shines a spotlight on outstanding educators who inspire excellence in their schools and communities.

Recruitment and Retention

Three years ago, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) invested approximately $40 million dollars of relief funds into grants to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers. All grant recipients participated in a Four Phase Evaluation process. Three years of collecting and analyzing data has now been completed and the findings from four separate studies are posted below.

A Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook, developed by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC) and based on the data gathered through this three-year evaluation, has been developed and features eight cornerstones of a state system of recruitment and retention.

Teacher Baseline Salary Grant

This grant supports salary increases for teaching staff to ensure they receive a baseline salary of $40,000, with 100 percent of the additional salary and related payroll benefits coming from state grant funds. While the FY 2026 budget awaits final approval, this guidance is provided in preparation for a rapid application process to support the required implementation timeline. This grant is subject to appropriation on an annual basis.

Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Guidance (FY26) NEW FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2025-26

As part of the fiscal year 2026 (FY 2026) state budget, qualifying local education agencies (LEAs) can apply for grant funds to boost their teacher salary to a baseline amount of $40,000. LEAs that currently employ teachers making at least $25,000 and less than $40,000 per full time equivalent (FTE) are eligible to apply.

SY24-25 Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Final Allocations