On April 11, the National Center for Education Statistics will release A Quarter Century of Changes in the Elementary and Secondary Teaching Force: From 1987 to 2012.
This report investigates changes in several key characteristics of the teaching force—the number of teachers, the level of teaching experience, and the racial/ethnic diversity of the teaching force—between 1987-;88 and 2011-;12. The report focuses on how these demographic changes varied across different types of teachers and across types of schools during this 25 year period.
During this period the teaching force grew by 46 percent. The growth in the teaching force varied across different teaching fields. The number of teachers in the fields of English as a second language (ESL), English/language arts (ELA), mathematics, foreign language, natural science, and special education, all grew at above-average rates. In contrast, the fields of general elementary, vocational-technical education, and art/music each had below-average growth.
Additionally, the growth in the teaching force varied across different types of schools. The teaching force in high-poverty public schools grew by nearly 325 percent. In contrast, the number of teachers employed in low-poverty public schools declined by one fifth.
The number of teachers employed in private schools increased at a higher rate than in public schools during this same period. Nevertheless, private schools in the United States account for a small portion of the elementary and secondary teaching force (about 12 percent in 2011-;12).
Parallel to the growth in the teaching force, between 1987-;88 and 2011-;12, there was also an increase in the number of beginning teachers. The data show that the number of beginners (those with 5 or less years of experience) increased by 43 percent -; representing a gain of over 250,000 beginning teachers.
While minority teachers remain underrepresented in the teaching force, both the number and proportion of teachers who are minorities increased. Between 1987-;88 and 2011-;12 the number of minority teachers grew by 104 percent, compared to 38 percent for White teachers. The percentage of all teachers who belonged to minority groups increased from 12.4 percent in 1987-;88 to 17.3 percent in 2011-;12.
During the period from 1987-;88 to 2011-;12, the number of White female teachers increased by 49 percent, while the number of White male teachers increased by only 12 percent. In contrast, during this same period, the number of minority female teachers increased by 102 percent, while the number of minority male teachers increased by 110 percent.
Moreover, the number of minority teachers employed in high-poverty public schools grew during this period. In contrast, there was almost no growth in the number of minority teachers in low-poverty public schools.
