To Teach or Not to Teach. Teaching Experience and Preparation Among 1992-93 Bachelor's Degree Recipients 10 Years After College. Statistical Analysis Report

摘要

Efforts to increase student achievement have focused in recent years on improving teaching in the United States. Programs implementing higher standards for curricula, student performance, and, especially, teachers preparation and inservice training have been cornerstones of recent reforms. To ensure a highly qualified teacher for every child, the No Child Left Behind Act and related state policies now require that teachers hold a bachelors degree and full certification in their field. Two common goals are attracting more skilled people to the profession and retaining teachers at higher rates, particularly new teachers. Interest in the teaching workforce often focuses on the characteristics of college graduates who choose teaching and who later decide to stay in the profession, and how teachers compare to their counterparts in other professions. This report profiles 1992-93 bachelors degree recipients experience with K12 teaching in the subsequent 10 years, and their preparation for teaching. The analysis compares current and former teachers among this cohort on many measures, and contrasts these groups with graduates who never taught (where appropriate). It uses data from the 2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, the final follow-up survey of students who received their bachelors degrees in 1992-93.