The complexity of teacher housing policies
The case of Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22203202 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Scott Eacott (0000-0002-5612-5887, UNSW Sydney, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Pages | 103023 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103023 |
| OpenAlex | W7162789101 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
Teacher shortages are a challenge for almost every nation. While substantial attention has been paid to the pipeline of teacher supply and to a lesser extent on working conditions, little has been made of the need for teachers to be proximally housed to where they are most needed. The provision of teacher housing was foundational to the establishment and sustainability of schools but has been decoupled from school provision and limited to an incentive to attract candidates to hard-to-staff locations. Drawing on teacher housing policies from Australia, this paper argues for a subtle shift from an individual to a systemic focus for teacher housing and rethinking the proximal housing of teachers as part of the public infrastructure of schooling as a social institution. Noting the complexity of the policy challenges of achieving full systemic staffing, a framework is offered for thinking about the relationship between school provision and teacher housing that can be applied to other jurisdictions to better understanding this timely policy challenge for school systems. The overarching goal is to embed the housing of teachers in public infrastructure and make it part of the planning process to ensure all schools are staffed
Economic shortage · Incentive · Public housing · Public policy · School system · Sustainability · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes · School Choice and Performance · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Housing the Teacher Workforce
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Teacher recruitment policies
Addressing teacher shortages in hard-to-staff schools
How are teacher shortages in hardest-to-staff schools represented in (inter)national policy documents from England and Australia
A summary of initiatives to address teacher shortages in hard-to-staff schools in the Anglosphere
Equitable Compensation to Attract and Retain Qualified Teachers in High-Need Alaska Public Schools
Understanding the Lived Experiences of Housing and Transport Stress in the “Affordable” Outer Ring
The systemic implications of housing affordability for the teacher shortage
School autonomy reform and social justice
Teachers’ working conditions, wellbeing and retention
What works in attracting and retaining teachers in challenging schools and areas
Triage in teaching
Jobs–Housing Balance Re-Re-Visited
Capturing the distance decay effect of amenities on housing price using explainable artificial intelligence
Teacher Shortages and Turnover in Rural Schools in the US
Teacher job satisfaction
Teachers’ working time as a risk factor for their mental health - findings from a cross-sectional study at German upper-level secondary schools
Accounting for teachers
Housing and transport costs for school education staff in high growth areas
Teaching close to home
School provision, workforce distribution, housing, and the staffing of schools
Cracking the housing crisis
Why don’t we have enough teachers
Entry affordability of employment types
Student Teaching and the Geography of Teacher Shortages
The selection gap in teacher education
A historical geography of housing crisis in Australia
An analysis of Australian teacher workforce policy
Workload, work intensification and time poverty for teachers and school leaders
| Highly cited | No |
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