Qualifications of the Public School Teacher Workforce: Prevalence of Out-of-Field Teaching 1987-88 to 1999-2000 (Revised)

Interest in how well teachers' qualifications match their teaching assignments has intensified among educational policymakers and researchers. Research has called attention to the phenomenon of "out-of-field" teaching, in which teachers are assigned to teach subjects and grade levels for which they have little training. Data from the NCES Schools and Staffing Survey provide a unique opportunity to examine trends in out-of-field teaching over a 13-year period (1987-88 through 1999-2000), as well as across subjects and grade levels. The study includes four approaches to measuring out-of-field teaching and focuses on two definitions of out-of-field teaching: teachers without a major and certification in-field and teachers without an in-field major, minor or certification.

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