Vacancies in math, science and special education classrooms around the country are being filled by foreign teachers, according to a report from USA Today.
Low pay, disruptive students and a shortage of books and materials have made it hard for poor urban and rural school districts around the country to retain American teachers, said Segun Eubanks, the National Education Association's director of teacher quality.
"American workers are not willing to do the work for the conditions and pay we offer," Eubanks told the paper. "So we're recruiting them for the same reasons we recruit farm workers and day laborers."
It has become more common for school districts to hire overseas, according to Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Salaries for new teachers range between $30,000 and $45,000, according to the NCTQ.
"All poor districts have a harder time recruiting," Walsh told the newspaper. "Anytime you're teaching poor kids in the inner city, it's very hard to get teachers to stay."
Click here to read more of this story from USA Today at AZCentral.com.
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