Elementary and Secondary Education

School Characteristics and Climate

Table A-32-3. Number and percentage distribution of teacher stayers, movers, and leavers, by school sector and selected teacher characteristics in the base year: School year 2008-09

	All school teachers						Public school teachers						Private school teachers
Teacher characteristic in base year¹	Stayers		Movers		Leavers		Stayers		Movers		Leavers		Stayers		Movers		Leavers	Leavers
Total, number	3,240,900		279,700		347,100		2,854,900		255,700		269,800		386,000		24,000		77,300
Total, percentage	83.8		7.2		9.0		84.5		7.6		8.0		79.2		4.9		15.9
Sex
Male	83.7		7.5		8.8		84.4		7.8		7.9		80.0		5.7		14.3
Female	83.8		7.2		9.0		84.5		7.5		8.0		78.9		4.7		16.4

Age
Under 30	75.2		14.1		10.7		76.1		14.7		9.2		68.9		10.0		21.1
30–39	83.4		7.0		9.6		84.4		7.3		8.4		76.9		4.9		18.2
40–49	88.9		6.4		4.6		89.6		6.6		3.9		83.7		5.4		10.9
50–59	85.8		5.3		8.9		85.9		5.7		8.4		85.2		2.4		12.4
60 and over	81.5		2.1		16.4		82.4		2.0	!	15.6		77.7		2.7	!	19.6

Race/ethnicity
White	84.4		6.7		8.9		85.0		7.0		8.0		80.7		4.6		14.7
Black	79.8		10.3		9.9		80.5		10.4		9.0		67.2		8.6	!	24.2	!
Hispanic	82.0		10.3		7.7		83.8		10.7		5.6	!	69.2		‡		23.7	!
Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander	76.3		‡		12.9	!	80.1		‡		8.0	!	58.7	!	‡		‡
American Indian/Alaska Native	79.1	!	‡		‡		82.5	!	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
Two or more races	85.5		‡		‡		82.5		‡		‡		100.0		#		#

Highest degree earned²
Less than bachelor's	77.9		‡		‡		80.8		‡		‡		72.9		‡		25.9
Bachelor's	83.2		8.1		8.7		83.9		8.7		7.4		79.2		5.0		15.8
Postbaccalaureate
Master's	85.1		6.3		8.6		85.8		6.4		7.8		78.5		5.2		16.3
Education specialist or
professional diploma	80.5		9.4		10.1	!	79.8		9.7		10.5	!	88.9		‡		‡
Doctoral or first-professional	84.4		‡		10.4	!	82.5		‡		‡		89.3		‡		‡

Years as a teacher
3 or fewer	75.2		12.8		11.9		76.2		14.1		9.7		70.5		6.5		22.9
4–9	82.4		8.5		9.1		83.4		8.6		7.9		74.8		7.8		17.4
10–19	89.7		4.9		5.3		90.4		5.2		4.4		84.3		2.8		12.9
20 or more	84.3		4.9		10.8		84.0		5.2		10.8		85.8		2.7		11.4

Teaching status
Full-time	84.8		7.3		7.9		85.2		7.5		7.3		82.0		5.2		12.8
Part-time	74.8		6.8		18.4		77.0		7.8		15.2		67.5		3.6	!	28.9

Certification type³
Regular	85.1		6.7		8.2		85.2		6.9		7.9		84.3		4.0		11.7
Probationary	79.6		14.1	!	6.3	!	79.7		14.3	!	‡		77.8		‡		‡
Temporary	82.9		8.7		8.4	!	83.7		8.5		7.7	!	67.8		‡		‡
Waiver or emergency	79.3		14.5		6.2	!	78.2		15.7		6.0	!	89.5		‡		‡
No certification	73.1		6.0		20.9		67.5		‡		‡		74.2		5.5		20.3

Main teaching assignment
Early childhood/general elementary	86.1		7.2		6.7		87.0		7.4		5.6		79.7		6.5		13.8
Special education	77.4		9.8		12.8		78.0		9.8		12.3		62.9		‡		27.5	!
Arts/music	88.3		6.8		4.9		88.4		7.5		4.1		87.9		‡		9.0
English/language arts	81.7		7.1		11.2		81.8		7.7		10.5		80.5		2.9	!	16.5
Mathematics	85.6		6.1		8.3		85.6		6.7		7.7		85.3		‡		12.7	!
Natural sciences	83.4		6.7		9.9		83.9		7.1		9.0	!	80.6		4.8	!	14.6	!
Social sciences	84.0		7.6	!	8.3		84.2		8.2	!	7.6		83.3		4.3	!	12.4	!
Other	82.4		6.4		11.1		84.2		6.7		9.1		72.3		4.9		22.8

Median base salary, in constant 2009–10 dollars⁴
Median base salary, in constant 2009–10 dollars⁴	$46,000		$43,500		$44,700		$47,000		$44,000		$48,100		$34,400		$31,700		$30,200

Base salary, in constant 2009–10 dollars⁴
Base salary, in constant 2009–10 dollars⁴
Less than $30,000	80.3		6.0		13.7		86.0		7.3		6.7		74.9		4.9		20.2
$30,000–$44,999	82.6		8.8		8.5		83.0		9.2		7.8		79.7		6.2		14.1
$45,000–$59,999	84.2		6.6		9.2		84.1		6.9		9.1		86.0		3.4	!	10.7	!
$60,000–$74,999	85.4		6.8		7.8		85.6		7.1		7.2		81.9		‡		17.3	!
$75,000 or more	89.8		‡		6.3	!	89.8		‡		6.4	!	90.9		‡		‡


# Rounds to zero.
! Interpret with caution. The standard error of the estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate’s value.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
¹ Base year refers to the year in which the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) was administered. SASS is administered a year prior to the Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS). The total number of base year teachers for any year is slightly lower than in previously published counts, as all teachers who responded to SASS but were ineligible for the TFS (e.g., because they died or moved out of the country) were removed from the weighted count of base year teachers.
² "Less than bachelor's" includes teachers with an associate's degree, those with vocational certificates, and those without a degree. "Education specialist/professional diploma" includes teachers with a certificate of advanced graduate studies. See glossary for the definition and a list of first-professional degrees.
³ The regular certification category includes regular or standard state certificates and advanced professional certificates (for both public and private school teachers) and full certificates granted by an accrediting or certifying body other than the state (for private school teachers only). Probationary certificates are for those who have satisfied all requirements except the completion of a probationary period. Temporary certificates are for those who require additional college coursework and/or student teaching. Waivers or emergency certificates are for those with insufficient teacher preparation who must complete a regular certification program in order to continue teaching. No certification indicates that the teacher did not hold any certification in the state where they had taught.
⁴ Average base salary was calculated in 2009–10 school year constant dollars and adjusted using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For more information on the CPI, see supplemental note 10.
NOTE: Stayers are those teachers who remained at the same school. Movers are those teachers who moved to a different school. Leavers are those teachers who left the profession. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. For more information on race/ethnicity, see supplemental note 1. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. For more information on the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), see supplemental note 3.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), "Current Teacher Data File” and "Former Teacher Data File,” 2008–09.

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