The digest examines the supply and the quality of special education personnel and notes problems in the area of personnel preparation. Statistics are cited to show that the current supply of qualified personnel does not meet demand, particularly in such important areas as special education. Similarly, efforts in recent years to strengthen the…

It is pointed out in this Digest that there is an imbalance between the number of Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American teachers and the percentage of children of similar ethnic backgrounds in the schools. The growing minority student enrollment in public schools has increased the demand for proportional minority teacher representation.…

Community colleges have the students, support services, and articulation mechanisms in place to play a critical role in the development of a multi-ethnic teaching force. This Digest examines the demand for an ethnically diverse teaching force and the possible sources of supply for that force. The role of the community colleges in recruiting and…

This digest consolidates recent, key information on minority representation in the teaching profession. Despite widespread efforts to recruit minority teachers, by 1983 the total had decreased 1.5% (down to 11% since 1973). Therefore, many students will go through their entire school career with no minority teachers, no role models, and no sense…

Increased public interest in education is attracting students and career-changers to the teaching profession. This ERIC Digest is organized into questions and answers dealing with teacher preparation: (1) What do teachers do? (2) What are working conditions like? (3) What academic preparation is needed; (4) Do I take courses after I receive my…

Although the number of minority students in U.S. schools continues to increase, the number of ethnically diverse teachers continues to decline. The multicultural classroom creates a demand for teachers who are aware of cultural differences within the student population. Minority teachers are in a unique position to understand these differences and…

This Digest examines U.S. teacher supply and demand, including projections for the next 10 years. For the past 10 years, the supply of public elementary and secondary school teachers has grown. Currently, the number of teachers in the United States is 3.1 million, 2,666,034 of whom teach in public schools. The number is projected to increase by…

This brief report summarizes a longer report with the same title. It examines the problems of the increasingly severe shortage of qualified teachers in American higher education and the need to recruit large numbers of new faculty during the next decade and, as the potential solution to both problems, the recruiting of women to fill these faculty…

This digest, addressed to prospective teachers, consists of questions and answers that provide information on such topics as teachers' responsibilities, how to become a teacher, teacher supply and demand, salaries, and working conditions. References are included. (JD)

This digest presents summary statistics addressing the following questions: (1) "How are children with disabilities defined?" (2) "Who are the students served?" (3) "Where are these students receiving their special education?" and (4) "How many teachers are needed?" The digest also examines past and present…

This digest focuses on the data that show significant disparities between the number of teachers of color and the number of students of color and examines how well schools, colleges, and departments of education are doing in supplying teachers of color for U.S. classrooms. The document is organized into three sections. The first section discusses…

Charter schools are created and managed by an entity composed of parents and/ or teachers, community and/or business leaders, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses. Many people believe that charter schools can provide a high quality education without the regulatory constraints of the conventional public schools. This digest reviews…

The population of school-aged English language learners (ELLs) has consistently and significantly increased over the past decade, transforming U.S. public schools, instruction, and teacher preparation. This digest discusses the need for increased numbers of teachers of ELLs and the particular linguistic and academic characteristics of ELLs. It…

The typical route to certification for beginning foreign language teachers requires the candidate to complete an approved program of teacher education in a four-year institution, have a certain minimum grade point average, and have completed a specified number of foreign language credit hours. Notable trends in foreign language teacher…

While the shortage of qualified administrators is not as serious as the shortage of qualified teachers, some schools continue to fail to attract qualified leaders. Referred to as "hard-to-staff" schools, they are often characterized by high-poverty students, low test scores, high staff turnover, and under qualified teachers. This ERIC…