Mobility in the Teacher Workforce: Findings from the Condition of Education 2005

摘要

Each year teachers enter, leave, and move within the K-12 teacher workforce in the United States. Such movement affects not only the composition of teachers at individual schools and the institutional stability of these schools but also the demographics and qualifications of the teacher workforce as a whole. Understanding the dynamics of such change in the teacher workforce is important for policymakers weighing competing policies regarding such issues as teacher shortages, teacher attrition, and teacher quality. This special analysis describes the nature of the teacher workforce, looks at who joined and who left the workforce in 1999-2000, and compares these transitions with those in 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94. The purpose of this special analysis is to provide a foundation for informed discussions of policies intended to address issues related to the teacher workforce.