Annual Reports and Information Staff (Annual Reports)

Equitable Access to High-Quality Curricula and Instruction Domain

Disparities in Access to Effective Teaching

Last Updated: August 2023 | Suggested Citation

This indicator examines disparities in access to effective teaching by exploring three constructs: teachers’ years of experience; teacher education and certification, including the routes teachers took to certification; and racial and ethnic diversity of the teaching force. Group differences in this indicator are examined by race/ethnicity, sex, and school poverty level, measured as eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL).

Teachers’ Years of Experience

In 2020–21, about 7 percent of public school teachers had less than 3 years of teaching experience, 29 percent had 3 to 9 years of experience, 37 percent had 10 to 20 years of experience, and 26 percent had more than 20 years of experience.
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.

Figure 1. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by years of teaching experience: School years 2011–12 and 2020–21

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2011–12; and National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2020–21. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, table 209.10; Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 209.22.

Teacher Education and Certification

Overall, public school teachers had higher educational attainment in 2020–21 than in 2011–12.¹⁶ Specifically, higher percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 held a postbaccalaureate degree as their highest degree, including,

a master’s degree (51 vs. 48 percent);
an education specialist degree or certificate¹⁷ (8.4 vs. 7.6 percent); and
a doctor’s degree (1.4 vs. 1.1 percent).

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,

a master’s degree (53 vs. 49 percent); and
a doctor’s degree (2 vs. 1 percent).

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,

90 percent held a regular or standard state teaching certificate or advanced professional certificate;
4 percent held a provisional or temporary certificate;¹⁸
3 percent held a probationary certificate;¹⁹
2 percent held no certification; and
1 percent held a waiver or emergency certificate.²⁰

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.

Figure 2. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by highest degree earned, certification type, and instructional level: School year 2020–21

#Rounds to zero.

¹ Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year's work beyond the master's level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.

² Refers to certification of teachers to teach in the state where they are currently teaching. A teaching certificate is probationary if all requirements have been satisfied except completion of a probationary period. It is provisional or temporary if additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a test is required to obtain regular certification. It is a waiver or emergency certificate if a certification program must be completed to continue teaching.

NOTE: Excludes teachers who teach only prekindergarten. Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers. Teachers were classified as elementary or secondary on the basis of the grades they taught, rather than on the level of the school in which they taught. In general, elementary teachers include those teaching any of grades prekindergarten through grade 6 and those teaching multiple grades, with a preponderance of grades taught being kindergarten through grade 6. In general, secondary teachers include those teaching any of grades 7 through 12 and those teaching multiple grades, with a preponderance of grades taught being grades 7 through 12 and usually with no grade taught being lower than grade 5. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2020–21. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 209.22.

Teachers’ Routes to Certification

Of the 3.8 million public school teachers working in school year 2015–16, approximately 676,000 (18 percent) had entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program.²¹ While the traditional route to certification typically requires the completion of a postsecondary degree in education, many alternative route programs are designed for individuals who have already completed a degree in a different field without teacher education courses.²² These alternative pathways into the teaching profession may have important implications for the supply of teachers in the labor market, especially in the context of the declining number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded in education²³ and persistent teacher shortages in certain subjects and categories of schools.²⁴

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) from the National Center for Education Statistics provides insights about alternative route teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. This indicator uses NTPS data to examine the characteristics of teachers who entered teaching through alternative route to certification programs and compares them to those who entered through traditional routes.

In 2015–16, the percentage of public school teachers who were members of racial/ethnic minority groups was generally higher among those who had entered teaching through an alternative route to certification than among those who entered through a traditional route.

The percentages of alternative route teachers who were Hispanic (15 percent), Black (13 percent), of Two or more races (2 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (1 percent) were higher than the percentages for traditional route teachers (8 percent, 5 percent, 1 percent, and less than one-half of 1 percent, respectively).
In contrast, the percentage of alternative route teachers who were White (66 percent) was lower than traditional route teachers who were White (83 percent). The percentage of alternative route teachers who were Asian (3 percent) was not measurably different from the percentage of traditional route teachers who were Asian (2 percent).
The percentages of teachers who were Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native were 1 percent or less among both alternative and traditional route teachers.

Figure 3. Percentage distribution of public elementary and secondary school teachers, by route to certification and race/ethnicity: 2015–16

NOTE: Teachers were asked whether they entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program, which is a program that was designed to expedite the transition of nonteachers to a teaching career (for example, a state, district, or university alternative route to certification program). Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Data for American Indian/Alaska Native teachers who entered teaching through a traditional route and Pacific Islander teachers who entered teaching through traditional and alternative routes round to zero and are not displayed.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.24.

In 2015–16, the percentage of alternative route teachers in public schools in which at least three-quarters of students were racial/ethnic minorities was higher than the national average of 18 percent.

Twenty-three percent of teachers in schools with 75 to 89 percent minority enrollment had entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program.
Twenty-seven percent of teachers in schools with 90 percent or more minority enrollment had entered teaching through an alternative route.

The percentages of alternative route teachers were lower than average among those teaching in schools where less than half of students were minorities, including those teaching in schools with less than 10 percent minority enrollment (9 percent alternative route teachers), those teaching in schools with 10 to 24 percent minority enrollment (12 percent alternative route teachers), and those teaching in schools with 25 to 49 percent minority enrollment (16 percent alternative route teachers).

Figure 4. Percentage of public elementary and secondary school teachers who had entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program, by percentage of racial/ethnic minority students in school: 2015–16

NOTE: Excludes the 7 percent of teachers for whom the percentage of racial/ethnic minority enrollment in the school was not available. Minority enrollment is the combined enrollment of students who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races. Teachers were asked whether they entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program, which is a program that was designed to expedite the transition of nonteachers to a teaching career (for example, a state, district, or university alternative route to certification program). Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers.

The distribution of teachers by sex also differed between alternative and traditional route teachers in public schools in 2015–16. The percentage of teachers who were male was higher among alternative route teachers (32 percent) than among traditional route teachers (22 percent).

Figure 5. Percentage distribution of public elementary and secondary school teachers, by route to certification and sex: 2015–16

The percentage of alternative route teachers also varied by school poverty level, as measured using the percentage of students in the school who were eligible for FRPL under the National School Lunch Program. While the FRPL data have a number of limitations, they are a widely used proxy for student poverty.²⁵ In this indicator, high-poverty schools are defined as public schools where 76 percent or more of the students are eligible for FRPL, and low-poverty schools are defined as public schools where 25 percent or less of the students are eligible for FRPL.

In 2015–16, the average percentage of alternative route teachers in high-poverty schools (21 percent) was higher than the national average (18 percent), and the average percentage of alternative route teachers in low-poverty schools (14 percent) was lower than the national average.

Figure 6. Percentage of public elementary and secondary school teachers who had entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program, by percentage of students in school who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch: 2015–16

NOTE: For more information on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and its relationship to poverty, see the Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems. Teachers were asked whether they entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program, which is a program that was designed to expedite the transition of nonteachers to a teaching career (for example, a state, district, or university alternative route to certification program). Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity of the Teaching Force

In 2020-21, of all public school teachers,

80 percent were White;
9 percent were Hispanic;
6 percent were Black;
2 percent were Asian;
2 percent were of Two or more races;
Less than 1 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native; and
Less than one-half of 1 percent were Pacific Islander.

From 2011–12 to 2020–21, the share of public school teachers in each of the racial/ethnic groups changed by 2 percentage points or less. Specifically, lower percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 were White (80 vs. 82 percent) or Black (6 vs. 7 percent). In contrast, higher percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 were Hispanic (9 vs. 8 percent), Asian (2.4 vs. 1.8 percent), or of Two or more races (2 vs. 1 percent).

In 2020–21, the proportion of K–12 public school teachers who were White (80 percent) was higher than the proportion of K–12 public school students who were White (46 percent), whereas the proportion of teachers of other racial/ethnic groups was lower than the proportion of students in those groups. For instance, 9 percent of public school teachers were Hispanic, compared with 28 percent of public school students.

Figure 7. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools and percentage distribution of kindergarten through 12th-grade students enrolled in public schools, by race/ethnicity: School year 2020–21

# Rounds to zero.

¹ Excludes teachers who teach only prekindergarten. Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers.

² Data are for fall 2020 and exclude prekindergarten students. Data represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Enrollment data for students not reported by race/ethnicity were prorated based on the known racial/ethnic composition of a state by grade to match state totals.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2020–21; and Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 2020–21. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, tables 203.65 and 209.22.

Findings in this indicator come from Characteristics of Public School Teachers and Characteristics of Public School Teachers Who Completed Alternative Route to Certification Programs in the Condition of Education. For more information on teachers see table 209.24 from the Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.10 from the Digest of Education Statistics 2020, and tables 203.65 and 209.22 from Digest of Education Statistics 2022.

¹⁶ Level of educational attainment refers to the highest degree earned.

¹⁷ Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year’s work beyond the master’s level, including a certificate of advanced graduate studies.

¹⁸ A teaching certificate is provisional or temporary if additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a test is required to obtain regular certification.

¹⁹ A teaching certificate is probationary if all requirements have been satisfied except completion of a probationary period.

²⁰ A teaching certificate is a waiver or emergency certificate if a certification program must be completed to continue teaching.

²¹ Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers. All states except Alaska offered alternative route to certification programs in 2015. Program providers varied widely from state to state, including school districts, colleges and universities, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. For more information, see National Council on Teacher Quality. (2015). State Policy Yearbook Database: 2015. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.nctq.org/yearbook/home.

²² Woods, J.R. (2016). Mitigating Teacher Shortages: Alternative Teacher Certification (Teacher Shortage Series Policy Brief). Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.ecs.org/mitigating-teacher-shortages-alternative-teacher-certification/.

²³ For more information on the number of degrees awarded in the field of education, see indicators Undergraduate Degree Fields and Graduate Degree Fields.

²⁴ Aragon, S. (2016). Teacher Shortages: What We Know (Teacher Shortage Series Policy Brief). Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved February 13, 2018, https://www.ecs.org/teacher-shortages/.

²⁵ For more information on eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch and its relationship to poverty, see the Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems.

Suggested Citation

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Access to Effective Teaching. Education in Equity Dashboard. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from [URL].