Who Will Teach?
Policies That Matter
Published on 1. November 1991
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-674-95192-1 (ISBN)
Description
Will America find enough good teachers to staff its public schools? How can we ensure that all our children will be taught by skilled professionals? The policies that determine who teaches today are a confusing and often conflicting array that includes tougher licensing requirements, higher salaries, mandatory master's degrees, merit pay, and alternative routes to certification. Who Will Teach? examines these policies and separates those that work from those that backfire.
The authors present an intriguing portrait of America's teachers and reveal who they are, who they have been, and who they will be. Using innovative statistical methods to track the professional lives of more than 50,000 college graduates, the book describes, in many cases for the first time, just how prospective, current, and former teachers respond to the incentives and disincentives they face. The authors, a group of noted educators, economists, and statisticians, find cause for serious concern. Few academically talented college graduates even try teaching, and many of those who do leave quickly, never to return. Current licensing requirements stifle innovation in training and dissuade many potentially talented teachers at the outset.
But Who Will Teach? shows that we can reverse these trends if we get the incentives right. Although better salaries are essential, especially for new teachers, money is not enough. Potential teachers should be offered alternative paths into the classroom. School districts should improve their recruiting strategies. Licensing criteria should assess teaching skills, not just academic achievement and number of courses completed. The authors offer a promising strategy based on high standards and substantial rewards.
The authors present an intriguing portrait of America's teachers and reveal who they are, who they have been, and who they will be. Using innovative statistical methods to track the professional lives of more than 50,000 college graduates, the book describes, in many cases for the first time, just how prospective, current, and former teachers respond to the incentives and disincentives they face. The authors, a group of noted educators, economists, and statisticians, find cause for serious concern. Few academically talented college graduates even try teaching, and many of those who do leave quickly, never to return. Current licensing requirements stifle innovation in training and dissuade many potentially talented teachers at the outset.
But Who Will Teach? shows that we can reverse these trends if we get the incentives right. Although better salaries are essential, especially for new teachers, money is not enough. Potential teachers should be offered alternative paths into the classroom. School districts should improve their recruiting strategies. Licensing criteria should assess teaching skills, not just academic achievement and number of courses completed. The authors offer a promising strategy based on high standards and substantial rewards.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
14 line illustrations, 20 tables
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-95192-1 (9780674951921)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Judith D. Singer is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. John B. Willett is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.
Content
Part 1 The teaching profession at a turning point: carrots and sticks; critical questions; incentives; an opportunity for change. Part 2 Who prepares to teach?: the shrinking personnel pool; the changing demographic profile of new licensees; different teaching specialities for different times. Part 3 Who becomes a teacher?: national trends; North Carolina trends; incentives matter. Part 4 Finding skilled teachers - hiring practices make a difference: hiring new teachers - two case studies; problems and solutions. Part 5 How long do teachers stay in teaching?: attrition is high in the first years; race makes a difference; mature women stay, young women leave; elementary school teachers stay the longest, chemistry and physics teachers the shortest; teachers with high test scores leave; teachers who are paid more stay longer; staffing the schools in the 1990s. Part 6 Who returns to teaching?: most career interruptions are short; women are more likely to return than men; elementary teachers are the most likely to return, chemistry and physics teachers the least likely; teachers with higher test scores are less likely to return; the reserve pool in the future. Part 7 Revising licensing requirements: the economics of occupational licensing; why traditional licensing requirements for teachers are flawed; why licensing of teachers is necessary; evidence informing the redisign of licensing requirements; directions for new licensing requriements; trade-offs in the design of performance assessments; the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; alternative assessment approaches; using performance assessments in teacher licensing - evidence from Connecticut; reforming licensing requirements - necessary, but not enough. Part 8 Getting the incentives right: fruitless policies; elements of a promising strategy; stimulating change; critical questions. Appendices: research context - whom did we study?; methodology.