{
  "id": 2855693,
  "title": "Could teaching assistants be an overlooked teacher pipeline? New research says yes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/could-teaching-assistants-be-an-overlooked-teacher-pipeline-new",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-23T20:00:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-overlooked-teacher-pipeline.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New research from UNC-Chapel Hill suggests that teaching assistants may be an overlooked pipeline for recruiting and retaining teachers in school districts. According to a statewide study conducted by the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC), nearly 1 in 5 beginning teachers in North Carolina have previously worked as teaching assistants. These former teaching assistants (TAs) perform just as well as other early-career teachers and have a higher likelihood of remaining in the profession through their second and third years. The study also found that TAs are more likely to be teachers of color and hold special education licenses, addressing workforce needs in areas where many districts face shortages.",
  "summary": "As school districts continue searching for ways to recruit and retain teachers, new research from UNC-Chapel Hill suggests one promising pipeline may already be in classrooms: teaching assistants.",
  "key_points": [
    "Nearly 1 in 5 beginning teachers in NC previously worked as teaching assistants.",
    "Former teaching assistants perform as well as other early-career teachers.",
    "TAs are more likely to be teachers of color and hold special education licenses."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}