Prekindergarten Teachers in Public Schools

The survey asked schools to report the number of public elementary school teachers who taught prekindergarten classes during the 2000-2001 school year. In addition, schools were asked to report on the credentials of the prekindergarten teachers and to compare their salaries with those of teachers who taught other elementary school grades (e.g., K-5, 1-6, K-8). The resulting data provide information on questions such as the following:

• How many teachers are responsible for teaching prekindergarten classes, and what are the characteristics of the schools in which they work?
• What percentage of prekindergarten teachers have bachelor's degrees or more advanced degrees?
• Are prekindergarten teachers paid using the same pay scale as elementary school teachers?

Number of Prekindergarten Teachers in Public Schools

During the 2000-2001 school year, nearly 46,000 public school teachers taught prekindergarten classes (Table 13).³¹ Twenty-five percent of those prekindergarten teachers taught in small schools, 44 percent taught in midsized schools, and 31 percent taught in large schools. Seventeen percent of prekindergarten teachers taught in schools with the lowest percent minority enrollment, 16 percent taught in schools with 6 to 20 percent minority enrollment, 22 percent taught in schools with 21 to 49 percent minority enrollment, and 44 percent taught in schools with the highest percent minority enrollment.

Public School Prekindergarten Teachers' Educational Background

Nationwide, nearly all full-time and part-time public school teachers in regular elementary, middle, and high schools had a bachelor's degree, and 45 percent held a master's degree (Parsad, Lewis, and Farris 2001). The NCES Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 base year study found that approximately 100 percent of kindergarten teachers had at least a bachelor's degree (West 2002). The results of this FRSS survey indicate that 86 percent of prekindergarten teachers had a bachelor's or higher degree (Table 14).

The likelihood that a prekindergarten teacher had at least a bachelor's degree varied by school characteristics.

• Prekindergarten teachers in city schools were more likely to have at least a bachelor's degree than were prekindergarten teachers in urban fringe/large town schools or rural/ small town schools (91 percent versus 84 and 83 percent, respectively).
• Higher percentages of prekindergarten teachers in the Northeast and Central regions had at least a bachelor's degree than prekindergarten teachers in the West and in the Southeast (95 and 92 percent versus 84 and 79 percent, respectively).
• Prekindergarten teachers in schools with the highest poverty concentration were less likely to hold at least a bachelor's degree than were prekindergarten teachers in schools with the lowest poverty concentration (81 percent versus 91 percent).

Prekindergarten Teacher Salaries in Public Schools

Another topic addressed in the survey was the pay scale used for public elementary school prekindergarten teachers. The majority (82 percent) of public elementary school prekindergarten teachers were paid using the elementary school teacher pay scale for their districts (Table 14). Sixteen percent were paid less than they would have been and 2 percent were paid more than they would have been had the same scale been used.

The likelihood that the same pay scale was used varied by school size, locale, region, and poverty concentration. Seventy-six percent of prekindergarten teachers in small schools were paid using the elementary school teacher pay scale, compared with 88 percent of prekindergarten teachers in large schools. In addition, 20 percent of prekindergarten teachers in small schools were paid less than they would have been had the same pay scale been used, as was the case for 11 percent of prekindergarten teachers in large schools. Eightyseven percent of prekindergarten teachers in city schools were paid using the same pay scale, compared with 79 percent of prekindergarten teachers in rural/small town schools. Although 92 percent of prekindergarten teachers in schools in the Northeast were paid using the same pay scale, 80 to 81 percent of prekindergarten teachers in schools from other regions were paid using the same pay scale. Eighty-eight percent of prekindergarten teachers in schools with 50 to 74 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were paid using the same pay scale, although 78 percent of the prekindergarten teachers in schools with higher poverty concentrations were paid using the same pay scale.

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³¹ For similar percentage distributions, see the following t ables: Table 1. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000-2001; Table 4. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten children, by selected school characteristics: 2000-2001; and Table 8. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000- 2001.

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