The authors provide an updated analysis of demographic trends in teaching profession, finding that the profession is growing, becoming more inexperienced, and more diverse. The trends and others, they write, shed light on the teacher pipeline today and offer insights on teacher-staffing issues, even as they raise important policy questions.

This study examined risk for stress among 13,180 United States (U.S.) secondary teachers nested within 1,740 schools. Using nationally representative data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), risk for stress was measured by comparing scale scores of teachers' classroom demands and classroom resources appraisals; whereby imbalances in…

This report utilizes the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to examine changes in the elementary and secondary teaching force in the United States over the quarter century from 1987-88 to 2011-12. The report focuses on three key demographic characteristics: the size of the teaching force, the level of teaching experience…

Has the elementary and secondary teaching force changed in recent years? And, if so, how? Have the types and kinds of individuals going into teaching changed? Have the demographic characteristics of those working in classrooms altered? This report summarizes the results of an exploratory research project that investigated what trends and changes…

Transactional models of stress suggest that elementary teachers who appraise classroom demands as higher than classroom resources are more vulnerable to stress and likely to experience vocational concerns. Previous research using the Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD), a measure designed to assess teacher perceptions of classroom…

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…

To better understand the factors related to teachers' decisions to leave for jobs outside of education, the study employs a structural equation modeling approach to analyze data from two large national datasets from the National Center for Education Statistics. The focus on occupation switchers is unique, with most studies of teacher attrition…

Teacher turnover is costly in its financial implications and negative impact on student learning. Documented in many recent studies many teachers choose to transfer to a more preferable work setting or leave the field. For this study, the researchers conducted an analysis of the most recent School and Staffing Survey (SASS) data from the National…

This study outlines the relationship between teachers' and principals' perceptions of their influence over policies within their school and teachers' actual employment decisions--specifically, teachers' decisions to stay (continue their affiliation with their school), to move (transfer to a different school), or to leave the teaching profession.…

While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has conducted surveys of attrition and mobility among school teachers for two decades, little was known specifically about the early career patterns of beginning teachers. In order to inform discussions and decisions among policymakers, researchers, and parents, the Beginning Teacher…

The objective of this study is to use nationally representative data to examine the rates, destinations and sources of math and science teacher turnover. There are four sets of research questions the authors address concerning the departure of mathematics and science teachers from their schools: (1) At what rates do mathematics/science teachers…

Out-of-field teaching is a national occurrence that has not had extensive examination in relation to teacher retention and attrition. Using a nationally representative sample of secondary public school teachers, (N =770) taken from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the 2004-2005 Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) datasets, the…

Shifts in the work force (both in education and more broadly) provide an opportunity to apply other creative approaches in the quest for more effective STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching. Increasingly, professionals change careers and explore new and varied professional opportunities, rather than remain in a single…

The numbers are in, and they are not rosy. According to the "Schools and Staffing Survey," 64,954 public schools reported vacancies during the 2003-04 school year. Projections suggest teacher attrition rates will continue to soar, while student enrollments climb. American schools have an urgent challenge: the retention of teachers.…

The Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. TFS is a follow-up survey of selected elementary and secondary school teachers who participated in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is the…