The Profession of Teaching

Teaching as a Profession in the United States and Around the World

by:

Rachel Helfer

Marie Hennessey

Jennifer Ummel

CI 405 - Spring 2013

U.S. Teacher Demographics

• Gender: In 2011, 84% of teachers were female.
• Race: In 2011, 84% of teachers were white.
• Age: In 2011, most teachers were 50 or older (31%), but they are steadily decling. Overall, most teachers are evenly dispersed in their age ranges.
• Location: Teachers are almost evenly dispersed in their teaching locations, with city teaching being the highest at 31%.
• Years of Experience: In 2011, 26% of teachers have between one and five years of experience.

Reasons for Becoming a Teacher

• Having a teacher who really inspired you as a student?
  • 34% of teachers said it was a major factor, while 11% said it was not a factor at all.
• Having a parent or family member who was a teacher?
  • 65% of teachers said it was not a factor at all, while 11% said it was one of the most important factors.
• The idea of putting underprivileged kids on the path to success?
  • 42% of teachers said it was a major factor, while 9% said it was not a factor at all.
• The practical job benefits such as summers off, more time with family and job security?
  • 35% of teachers said it was a major factor, and 15% said it was one of the most important factors.
• Teaching a subject that you love and getting kids excited about it?
  • 48% of teachers said it was one of the most important factors, while 3% said it was not a factor at all.

Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

• Before 1980, 88% of teachers went through the traditional college campus-based undergraduate teacher education program.
• Teachers who tend to have more years of experience, 25 and more, tend to have had the traditional college campus-based undergraduate teacher education program (82%).
• Females are more likely than males to go to a traditional college campus-based undergraduate teacher education program (63% to 48% respectively).
• The hispanic race is most likely to have an alternative method to becoming a teacher (57%), while whites have the most traditional undergraduate degree (66%)
• Races other than white, black and hispanic represent more teachers with graduate degree experience (27%).
• 74% of teachers believe the number of pre-teaching courses required are about right and 61% of teachers believe that they have the about right amount of classroom teaching experience.

Teacher Compensation

• A person with a bachelor's degree beginning in 2011-2012 earned a average salary of 35,913 dollars, which has been steadily rising.
• The highest  salary for a person with a bachleor's degree beginning in 2011-2012 was 55,091 dollars.
• The average starting salary for any job that requires a four year degree is 37,750 dollars.

Public Perceptions of Teachers

• 76% of teachers believe that high-achieving high school students should be recruited to become teachers.
• 74% of teachers said they would encourage someone who was interested in teaching to pursue it.
• 71% of people have trust and confidence in current teachers.
• 67% of people would encourage their students to become a teacher in the public school system.
• 68% of people mainly hear bad stories about teachers in the news media.

Teacher Job Satisfaction

• In 2011, 89% of teachers are very or somewhat satisfied with their overall job.
• In 2011, 55% of teachers were very or somewhat satisfied with their salary.
• In 2011, 62% of teachers were very or somewhat satisfied with the tests of student achievement.
• In 2011, 97% of teachers were very or somewhat satisfied with their relationships with their students.

Student Achievement Page

• Math (Grade 4)
  
  • In 2011, 17% of males in the US were below basic achievement for their math skills.
  • This percentage has been going down over the years because in 1990, 49% of males were below basic in achievement for math skills 
  • In 2011, 18% of females in the US were below basic achievement for their math skills.
  • This percentage has been going down over the years because in 1990, 51% of females were below basic in their achievement for math skills.
• Reading (Grade 4)
  • In 2011, 36% of males in the US were below basic in their reading abilities
  • This number has not changed drastically because in 1992, 42% of males in the US were below basic in their reading abilities.
  • In 2011, 29% of females in the US were below basic in their reading abilities
  • This number has not changed drastically becuase in 1992, 33% of females in the US were below basic in their reading abilities
• Ranking against other Countries
  
  • The United States ranks below the OCED average in the mathematics scale (US score = 487, Average = 496) in 2009
  • The OCED average for science is 501 and the US has a score of 502 in 2009
  • The OCED average for reading is 493 and the US has a score of 500 in 2009

Problems/Improvements with Regard to Teaching as a Profession

• 98% of teachers in 2011, believe that giving teachers greater participation in decision-making at the school building level would improve teaching
• Only 19% of teachers in 2011 believe that getting rid of the teachers' union would improve teaching
  
• 89% of teachers believe that the removal of incompetent teachers regardless of seniority would improve education, yet only 32% agree that tenure should disappear.
  
• 58% of teachers believe that there is too much testing in school
• 32% of teachers believe the hardest problem with teaching is that there is unreasonable pressure to raise student achievement

Perceptions vs. Data

Data that has matched Perceptions:

• Due to experience, we have previously believed that many elementary school teachers were female and according to the data 84% of teachers are female
• We have previously believed that a teacher's average salary is a lot lower than other professions. This was shown when a teacher's average starting salary was ,913, where as a normal four year degree would start at ,750.
  
• It is not shocking to hear that 58% of teachers believe that there is too much testing in school because we grew up in the age of standardized tests.
  

Data that has not matched Perceptions:

• We believed that one of main reasons to become a teacher was that a teacher had really inspired someone, yet only 34% of people said this was a major factor.
• We personally do not believe that we have enough time of classroom teaching experience, but 61% of teachers think the other way.
  
• It was shocking to see that 71% of people have trust and confidence in their current teachers since in the media teachers are not highly thought of.
  
• It was shocking to see that against other countries, the United States does not rank that well. Normally, US citizens tend to think highly our of educational system, but we are beginning to re-think this.
  

Teaching as a Profession in the U.S. Compared to Other Countries

• Germany
  
  • Like the US, in Germany students that are immigrants or not from the majority tend to achieve less than other students
  • In Germany, like many parts of the US, students are tracked and very early on placed on a path that will determine their future and is very hard to stray from
  • The Federal Education of Ministry in Germany is similar to the United States Department of Education in that they regulate and oversee general education policy, funding research projects and institutions
  • Unlike the US, in Germany students are given the opportunity from 8th or 9th grade and up to do an internship, which allows them to check out possible future careers
    
• Finland
  • Unlike the United States, in Finland the teaching profession is an appealing and highly thought of profession.
  • Unlike the United States in which teachers need little education, in Finland all teachers have Master's degrees.
    
  • In Finland, they provide early intervention in school to children who might later on have difficulties in order to curtail any future problems. Most countries tend to only give support after problems are noticeable.
    
  • Unlike the United States in which special education classes are only for certain students, in Finland almost half of the students have been a part of a special education service.
  • In Finland, they stress good and equal opportunity and standards for everyone.
    
• Singapore
  • Unlike the United States in which anyone can be a teacher, Singapore selects people from the top third of the country and then interviews and tests the potentials to ensure they are top quality and are passionate about teaching.
    
  • In Singapore, every teacher is required to have 100 hours of professional development to help them become a better teacher. The United States does not require this many hours of their teachers.
    
  • In Singapore, teachers observe each other's lessons in order to learn, provide feedback and improve lessons. In the United States, this is a rare practice.
  • Unlike the United States, where internet tools such as instant messaging are frowned upon within classrooms, Singapore uses them to allow every student the opportunity to ask questions at the same time for the teacher to answer.
    
  • In Singapore, it is important to have a teacher mentor. This is similar to the relationship between a student teacher and a cooperating teacher in the United States.

Bibliography

For demographics (12-19), teacher prep perceptions (24-28), job satisfaction (49-51), teacher qualification/evaluation (40), ways to improve education (43-45):

Feistritzer, C. E. (2011). Profile of Teachers in the US 2011. National Center for Education Information.  http://www.ncei.com/Profile_Teachers_US_2011.pdf

For factors influencing decision to become a teacher (reasons) (Q2a-Q2e), problems with teaching (Q6 and Q12):

Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates (AIR).  (2010). Retaining Teacher Talent Study. Report 2: Teaching for a Living: Survey Results http://www.learningpt.org/expertise/educatorquality/genY/TeachingforaLiving/results.php

For changes in job satisfaction and security (13-19)

(Metlife, Inc. (2012).  The Metlife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents, and the Economy,  http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/contributions/foundation/american-teacher/MetLife-Teacher-Survey-2011.pdf,

For public perceptions of teachers (Questions/Tables 1-15)

Bushaw, W. & Lopez, S. (2011) Betting on Teachers: The 43^rd Annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Towards the Public Schools (and Teachers) http://www.pdkintl.org/poll/docs/pdkpoll43_2011.pdf

For current median beginning teacher salary (Table 2) and other info:

Illinois Teacher Salary Study. (2012). Illinois State Board of Education: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/research/pdfs/teacher_salary_11-12.pdf

For current median 4-year-college-degree starting salary (page 3):

Stone, C. et. al. (2012). Chasing the American Dream: Recent College Graduates and the Great Recession (look at first job starting salary info on page 3). http://www.heldrich.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/content/Chasing_American_Dream_Report.pdf

Additional compensation info; use data from executive summary:

Richwine, J. & Biggs, A. (2011). Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers. The Heritage Foundation.  http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/10/assessing-the-compensation-of-public-school-teachers

For math student achievement data (% of students at or above proficient) and change:

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1990-2011 Mathematics Assessments. http://nationsreportcard.gov/math_2011/gr4_national.asp?tab_id=tab2&subtab_id=Tab_1#chart

For reading student achievement data (%of students at or above proficient):

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 Reading Assessments. (% of students at or above proficient) http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2011/nat_g4.asp?tab_id=tab2&subtab_id=Tab_1#chart

For international comparisons of student achievement (look at scores and rank for reading, math, and science):

OECD, PISA 2009 (most recent international data): What Students Know and Can Do: Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics, and Science. (U.S. rank compared to other countries) http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf

PISA videos (Global Perspectives): http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/oecd