Teacher qualifications

Question:
Do you have any information on the qualifications of teachers in their teaching assignments?

Response:

Overall, public school teachers had higher educational attainment in 2020–21 than in 2011–12.¹ Specifically, higher percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 held a postbaccalaureate degree as their highest degree, including,

• a master’s degree (51 vs. 48 percent);
• an education specialist degree or certificate² (8.4 vs. 7.6 percent); and
• a doctor’s degree (1.4 vs. 1.1 percent).

Conversely, a lower percentage of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 held a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree (38 vs. 40 percent).

In 2020–21, higher percentages of secondary teachers than of elementary teachers held a postbaccalaureate degree as their highest degree, including,

• a master’s degree (53 vs. 49 percent); and
• a doctor’s degree (2 vs. 1 percent).

However, there was no measurable difference in the percentages of elementary and secondary teachers who held an education specialist degree or certificate.

In 2020–21, of all public school teachers,

• 90 percent held a regular or standard state teaching certificate or advanced professional certificate;
• 4 percent held a provisional or temporary certificate;³
• 3 percent held a probationary certificate;⁴
• 2 percent held no certification; and
• 1 percent held a waiver or emergency certificate.⁵

A higher percentage of elementary than of secondary teachers held a regular certificate in 2020–21 (91 vs. 89 percent), while lower percentages of elementary than of secondary teachers held other types of certificates.

In 2020–21, of all public school teachers,

• 7 percent had less than 3 years of teaching experience;
• 29 percent had 3 to 9 years of experience;
• 37 percent had 10 to 20 years of experience; and
• 26 percent had more than 20 years of experience.

A lower percentage of teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 had 3 to 9 years of experience (29 vs. 33 percent), while the percentage who had more than 20 years of experience was higher in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 (26 vs. 23 percent). There were no measurable differences between 2011–12 and 2020–21 in the percentages of teachers with less than 3 years or 10 to 20 years of experience.

¹ Level of educational attainment refers to the highest degree earned.
² Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year’s work beyond the master’s level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.
³ A teaching certificate is provisional or temporary if additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a test is required to obtain regular certification.
⁴ A teaching certificate is probationary if all requirements have been satisfied except completion of a probationary period.
⁵ A teaching certificate is a waiver or emergency certificate if a certification program must be completed to continue teaching.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Characteristics of Public School Teachers. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov//programs/coe/indicator/clr.

Numbers in figure titles reflect original numeration from source Condition of Education indicators.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 209.50. Percentage of public school teachers of grades 9 through 12, by field of main teaching assignment and selected demographic and educational characteristics: School year 2020–21
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 209.20. Number, highest degree, and years of teaching experience of teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by selected teacher characteristics: Selected years, 1999–2000 through 2017–18
  
• 2020, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 209.30. Highest degree earned, years of full-time teaching experience, and average class size for teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: 2011–12
  
• 2020, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 234.50. Required testing for initial certification of elementary and secondary school teachers, by type of assessment and state: 2017 and 2018
  
• 2020, National Teacher and Principal Survey 2017–18: Percentage of public high school-level teachers whose main assignment was teaching mathematics or computer science who reported having a degree and/or certification in that field, by selected school and teacher characteristics: 2017–18
  
• 2020, National Teacher and Principal Survey 2017–18: Percentage of public middle school-level teachers whose main assignment was teaching mathematics or computer science who reported having a degree and/or certification in that field, by selected school and teacher characteristics: 2017–18
  
• 2018, The Condition of Education 2018: Characteristics of Public School Teachers Who Completed Alternative Route to Certification Programs
  
• 2016, The Condition of Education 2016: Teacher Turnover: Stayers, Movers, and Leavers
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2022, Characteristics of 2020–21 Public and Private K–12 School Teachers in the United States: Results From the National Teacher and Principal Survey
  
• 2021, The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is a system of related questionnaires that provide descriptive data on the context of elementary and secondary education. This survey is based on the former Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS).
  
• 2018, Public School Teacher Autonomy, Satisfaction, Job Security, and Commitment: 1999–2000 and 2011–12
  
• 2017, Certification Status and Experience of U.S. Public School Teachers: Variations Across Student Subgroups
  
• 2017, Teacher Professional Development By Selected Teacher and School Characteristics: 2011–12
  
• 2016, Teacher Job Satisfaction