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Teacher qualifications

Question:
Do you have any information on the qualifications of teachers in their teaching assignments?

Response:

Overall, public school teachers had higher educational attainment in 2020–21 than in 2011–12.1 Specifically, higher percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 held a postbaccalaureate degree as their highest degree, including,

Conversely, a lower percentage of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 held a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree (38 vs. 40 percent).

In 2020–21, higher percentages of secondary teachers than of elementary teachers held a postbaccalaureate degree as their highest degree, including,

However, there was no measurable difference in the percentages of elementary and secondary teachers who held an education specialist degree or certificate.

In 2020–21, of all public school teachers,

A higher percentage of elementary than of secondary teachers held a regular certificate in 2020–21 (91 vs. 89 percent), while lower percentages of elementary than of secondary teachers held other types of certificates.

In 2020–21, of all public school teachers,

A lower percentage of teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 had 3 to 9 years of experience (29 vs. 33 percent), while the percentage who had more than 20 years of experience was higher in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 (26 vs. 23 percent). There were no measurable differences between 2011–12 and 2020–21 in the percentages of teachers with less than 3 years or 10 to 20 years of experience.

1 Level of educational attainment refers to the highest degree earned.
2 Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year’s work beyond the master’s level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.
3 A teaching certificate is provisional or temporary if additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a test is required to obtain regular certification.
4 A teaching certificate is probationary if all requirements have been satisfied except completion of a probationary period.
5 A teaching certificate is a waiver or emergency certificate if a certification program must be completed to continue teaching.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Characteristics of Public School Teachers. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov//programs/coe/indicator/clr.

Numbers in figure titles reflect original numeration from source Condition of Education indicators.

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