Drawing on nationally representative data from six cohorts of beginning teachers from the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Teacher and Principal Survey, this study applies a difference-in-differences research design to examine the relationship between changes to state-level alternative certification policies and the characteristics of…

There is a national conversation about a secondary teacher shortage and the lack of qualified teachers in the classroom. Over recent years, there has been a rise in the number of alternatively certified teachers to fill these positions. This is particularly true in the field of career and technical education. However, there is a debate on whether…

Although the caseload of students with categorical disabilities and limited English proficiency has increased in recent years for secondary engineering design graphics teachers, the level of preparation to teach students with these characteristics has not. Given that teachers must develop inclusive classroom environments for all students, the…

Addressing teacher turnover is critical to stemming the country's continuing teacher shortages. It is also important for school effectiveness, as the academic and financial costs of teacher turnover to student learning and district budgets are significant. Using the most recent nationally representative data from the National Center for Education…

Alternative certification programs are now commonplace in the credentialing of new teachers. We complement the growing evidence base for these teachers by exploring their turnover patterns in four waves of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). We report on descriptive evidence of growing differences in the…

This study profiles the qualifications and preparation of special educators from the 2003--2004 Schools and Staffing Survey and investigates their relationship with teaching in a high-poverty school. Based on Berne and Stiefel's (1984) equal opportunity standard, students with disabilities in high-poverty schools are not provided an equitable…

Diversity is inherently valuable. Research shows that diversity in schools, including racial diversity among teachers, can provide significant benefits to students. While students of color are expected to make up 56 percent of the student population by 2024, the elementary and secondary educator workforce is still overwhelmingly white. The most…

The number of teachers entering the profession through alternative certification and the number of charter schools in the United States have increased over the past twenty years. While there is a great deal of research on the efficacy of different paths to certification on teachers in public schools, there is little research exploring the needs of…

This study uses an innovative methodology and six waves of "Schools and Staffing Survey" data spanning two decades (1988-2008) to assess the potential of midcareer entrants--teachers who enter the profession from careers outside of education--to diversify teaching, staff public schools, and fill vacancies in high-need subjects. We find…

The quality of the teacher workforce in the United States is of considerable concern to education stakeholders and policymakers. Numerous studies show that student academic success depends in no small part on access to high-quality teachers. Many pundits point to the fact that in the United States, teachers tend not to be drawn from the top of the…

At some point over the next 10 to 12 years, the nation's public school student body will have no one clear racial or ethnic majority. In other words, students of color--students who are not classified as non-Hispanic whites, for purposes of this analysis--will constitute more than half of our primary and secondary students. This demographic trend…

In the United States, about one third of new teachers being hired are drawn from alternative certification programs. One way to address controversy about the differences among the training experiences of teachers in traditional certification programs, fast-track alternative programs, and residency alternative programs is to examine teacher reports…

Studied out-of-field teaching in United States high schools using data from the Schools and Staffing Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics. Reveals that out-of-field teaching is widespread and offers an explanation that focuses on the organizational structure of schools and the occupational conditions and characteristics of…

Data from the 1993-94 Schools and Staffing Survey for 13,601 traditionally certified and 1,118 alternatively certified (AC) teachers show that 13.4% were math and science teachers, most of whom were AC; there were no differences in gender and racial composition; AC math and science teachers were concentrated in inner-city schools and had higher…

Uses data from the Schools and Staffing Survey 1993-94 to study the link between alternative teacher certification, minority teachers, and urban education and to compare alternatively and traditionally certified minority teachers in urban schools. Alternative certification appears to be effective in recruiting minority teachers to urban schools.…