America's Teachers Ten Years After 'A Nation at Risk'

摘要

The teaching work force has changed over the past decade. The number of teachers has grown faster than student enrollment, though average class size has generally not fallen. Almost all teachers are certified to teach in their main assignment field. However, one-quarter to one-third of teachers with a main assignment in mathematics or science neither majored nor minored in those subjects. A higher percentage of teachers had masters degrees in 1991 than in 1981, and the college coursetaking patterns of new teachers are generally comparable to those of other college graduates. Teacher salaries have risen, and the teaching work force is more experienced. Teacher attrition is not particularly high, though some schools have difficulty finding qualified teachers to fill vacancies. Few districts, however, provide salary incentives or bonuses to recruit or retrain teachers where a shortage exists.