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| Table 68. | Selected characteristics of public school teachers: Spring 1961 to spring 1991 |
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Item | 1961 | 1966 | 1971 | 1976 | 1981 | 1986 | 1991
________________________________________________|__________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
________________________________________________|__________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________
Number of teachers, in thousands .............| 1,408 | 1,710 | 2,055 | 2,196 | 2,185 | 2,206 | 2,398
|__________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________
Sex (percent) | | | | | | |
Men .........................................| 31.3 | 31.1 | 34.3 | 32.9 | 33.1 | 31.2 | 27.9
Women .......................................| 68.7 | 68.9 | 65.7 | 67.1 | 66.9 | 68.8 | 72.1
| | | | | | |
Median age (years) | | | | | | |
All teachers ................................| 41 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 37 | 41 | 42
Men .........................................| 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 38 | 42 | 43
Women .......................................| 46 | 40 | 37 | 33 | 36 | 41 | 42
| | | | | | |
Race (percent) | | | | | | |
White .......................................| --- | --- | 88.3 | 90.8 | 91.6 | 89.6 | 86.8
Black .......................................| --- | --- | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 8.0
Other .......................................| --- | --- | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 5.2
| | | | | | |
Marital status (percent) | | | | | | |
Single ......................................| 22.3 | 22.0 | 19.5 | 20.1 | 18.5 | 12.9 | 11.7
Married .....................................| 68.0 | 69.1 | 71.9 | 71.3 | 73.0 | 75.7 | 75.7
Widowed, divorced, or separated .............| 9.7 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 11.4 | 12.6
| | | | | | |
Highest degree held (percent)\1\ | | | | | | |
Less than bachelor's ........................| 14.6 | 7.0 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6
Bachelor's ..................................| 61.9 | 69.6 | 69.6 | 61.6 | 50.1 | 48.3 | 46.3
Master's or specialist degree ...............| 23.1 | 23.2 | 27.1 | 37.1 | 49.3 | 50.7 | 52.6
Doctor's ....................................| 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.5
| | | | | | |
College credits earned in last 3 years | | | | | | |
Percent who earned credits ..................| --- | --- | 60.7 | 63.2 | 56.1 | 53.1 | 50.3
Mean number of credits earned\2\ ............| --- | --- | 14 | --- | 9 | 4 | 4
| | | | | | |
Median years of teaching experience ............| 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 15
| | | | | | |
Teaching for first year (percent) ..............| 8.0 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.0
| | | | | | |
Average number of pupils per class | | | | | | |
Elementary teachers, not departmentalized....| 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24
Elementary teachers, departmentalized .......| --- | --- | 25 | 23 | 22 | --- | ---
Secondary teachers ..........................| 28 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 26
Mean number of students taught per day by | | | | | | |
secondary teachers ........................| 138 | 132 | 134 | 126 | 118 | 94 | 93
| | | | | | |
Average number of hours in required school day .| 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.2
Average number of hours per week spent on | | | | | | |
all teaching duties | | | | | | |
All teachers ................................| 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 49 | 47
Elementary teachers .........................| 49 | 47 | 46 | 44 | 44 | 47 | 44
Secondary teachers ..........................| 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 51 | 50
| | | | | | |
Average number of days of classroom teaching | | | | | | |
in school year ...............................| --- | 181 | 181 | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180
Average number of nonteaching days | | | | | | |
in school year ...............................| --- | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5
| | | | | | |
Average annual salary as classroom teacher .....|\3\$5,264 | $6,253 | $9,261 | $12,005 | $17,209 | $24,504 | $31,790
Total income, including spouse's (if married) ..| --- | --- | $15,021 | $19,957 | $29,831 | $43,413 | $55,491
| | | | | | |
Willingness to teach again (percent) | | | | | | |
Certainly would .............................| 49.9 | 52.6 | 44.9 | 37.5 | 21.8 | 22.7 | 28.6
Probably would ..............................| 26.9 | 25.4 | 29.5 | 26.1 | 24.6 | 26.3 | 30.5
Chances about even ........................ | 12.5 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 17.5 | 17.6 | 19.8 | 18.5
Probably would not ..........................| 7.9 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 13.4 | 24.0 | 22.0 | 17.0
Certainly would not .........................| 2.8 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 12.0 | 9.3 | 5.4
________________________________________________|__________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________
|
\1\Figures for curriculum specialist or professional diploma based on six years of college study are not included. NOTE.--Data are based upon sample surveys of public school teachers. Data differ from figures appearing in other tables because of varying processing procedures and time period coverages. Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.0. SOURCE: National Education Association, "Status of the American Public School Teacher, 1990-91." (Copyright @ 1992 by the National Education Association. All rights reserved.) (This table was prepared January 1993.) |
