This document provides information about teacher candidates completing programs in Maryland institutions of higher education and the hiring needs of local school systems. The report also outlines a number of important incentives and strategies for the recruitment and retention of quality teachers for Maryland public schools. The Maryland State Department of Education, pursuant to 18-703, Sharon Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teacher Education Award, identifies teaching areas of critical shortage and jurisdictions as geographic areas of projected shortages of teachers. Students in Maryland preparing to become teachers in a critical shortage area may be eligible to receive student financial assistance. This report presents four recommendations to the State Board of Education, identifying the critical shortage content areas, the geographic areas of shortage, and areas of gender and diversity shortage; and for the first time, presenting a recommendation on the inclusion of certain non-classroom professionals in critical shortage areas. The following are appended: (1) Sharon Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teacher Education Award; (2) Quality Teacher Incentive Act 2004-2005; (3) Retired Teachers and Principals Reemployed by Local School Systems: 2001-2002 to 2004-2005; (4) Teachers Issued a Conditional Certificate Two-Year Comparison 2003-2004 and 2004-2005; and (5) Newly Hired Teachers with Conditional Certificates: 2004-2005. (Contains 16 tables and 6 figures.) [For the "Maryland Teacher Staffing Report, 2004-2006," see ED484145.]