Report: Tennessee Tech Top Teacher Producer In State

Tennessee Tech University is once again the top producer of teachers in the state of Tennessee, according to the Tennessee State Board of Education's 2025 Educator Preparation Report Card.

State figures released Friday show that Tech's College of Education & Human Sciences totaled 780 teacher candidates in its three-year cohort, besting runner ups University of Tennessee-Martin at 768, Middle Tennessee State University at 764 and University of Tennessee-Knoxville at 608.

"Tennessee Tech has a long history of training exceptional teachers whom we commission to go out and serve across the state and beyond," said Lisa Zagumny, dean of Tech's College of Education & Human Sciences. "We are proud that more than one-third of all Tech graduates come from the College of Education & Human Sciences. Teacher training and licensure will continue to be a hallmark of our college and the broader university."

Within Tech's College of Education & Human Sciences, the Department of Curriculum & Instruction - the college's largest department - is specifically dedicated to teacher education and is supported by nearly 40 faculty and staff.

"Our department takes seriously our calling to equip the next generation of educators, and we value the trust of our students who continue to make us the top producer of teachers in the state," said Jeremy Wendt, chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Tech. "Teaching is a noble public service. As a Tennessee Tech alumnus myself, I know of no better training ground for teachers than right here at our university."

The 2025 Educator Preparation Report Card points to Tech's pivotal role in addressing state and national teacher shortages.

The National Center for Education Statistics announced that, as of last fall, the average public school reported having six teaching vacancies and "the majority of the country's public K-12 schools experienced difficulty hiring fully certified teachers."

For the 2025-2026 academic year, the state of Tennessee has specifically reported teacher shortages in the fields of mathematics, world languages, early childhood education, special education and English as a second language.

At Tech, teacher candidates are supported through the College of Education & Human Science's dedicated student success center and testing center, the Office of Teacher Education and its Jeffers Learning Resource Center - a newly-remodeled space where students can do everything from use laser engravers, sewing machines and 3D printers to create materials for their classes, to even immersing themselves in classroom settings through virtual reality technology.

Learn more about Tech's College of Education & Human Sciences at www.tntech.edu/education/.

View the full Tennessee State Board of Education 2025 Educator Preparation Report Card at www.tn.gov/sbe/ed-prep.

Jonathan Frank