500,000 fewer educators in the workforce  Employment in the education sector has decreased in recent months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since February 2020, employment at local education entities has decreased by 310,000 people and at state education entities by 194,000. The declines are particularly marked from August to September, with 144,000 fewer people employed by local education entities and 17,000 fewer employed at the state level, which may reflect pandemic disruptions to “seasonal buildup and layoff patterns.” The reasons for the declines in education employment were not addressed in the data. bit.ly/3FXgIbG 8 times as many vacancies for special ed teachers In a working paper published by the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington, researchers Dan Goldhaber