11 Facts About Teaching
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- For the 2011-2012 school year, the average salary for public school teachers was $56,643 in current dollars (not adjusted for inflation).^[Institute of Education Sciences. "Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28 (accessed July 14, 2014).]
- 46% of teachers in the education profession leave within five years of the start of their career. Underwhelming support systems and long after-school hours spent grading and planning are the top reasons for teacher burnout. Create a playlist to support and destress your teacher! Sign up for New Year, New US: TUESDAY.^[Kain, Erik. "High Teacher Turnover Rates are a Big Problem for America’s Public Schools." Forbes Magazine: Education. .]
- Between 2002 and 2012, about 700,000 teachers were projected to retire, accounting for about 28% of the hiring needs during that 10-year span.^["Unraveling the “Teacher Shortage” problem: Teacher Retention is the Key." National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and NCTAF State Partners. http://www.ncsu.edu/mentorjunction/text_files/teacher_retentionsymposium.pdf (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Of the 3,380,300 public school teachers who were teaching during the 2007-08 school year, 84.5% remained at the same school, 7.6% moved to a different school, and 8% left the profession during the following year.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Minority teachers are 2 to 3 times more likely than white teachers to work in such hard-to-staff schools.^["The Minority Teacher Shortage: Fact or Fable?." Education Week:. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/01/kappan_ingersoll.html (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Teachers with 10 or fewer years of experience now constitute over 52% of our teaching force.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Teacher job satisfaction dropped 15 points since from 2009 to 2012, from 59% who were very satisfied to 44% who are very satisfied, the lowest level in over 20 years.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Slightly more than half (53%) of parents and 2/3 (65%) of teachers say that public school teachers’ salaries are not fair for the work they do.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- In 2007–08, some 76% of public school teachers were female, 44% were under age 40, and 52% had a master’s or higher degree.^[Institute of Education Sciences. "Fast Facts." National Center for Education Stastistics. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28 (accessed July 14, 2014).]
- More than 1 in 5 teachers in 2011 was under the age of 30, and the proportion of teachers 50 and older dropped from 42% in 2005 to 31% in 2011.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
- Employment of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers is expected to grow by 13% between 2008 and 2018.^["Facts about the Teaching Profession for A National Conversation about Teaching." Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc (accessed July 16, 2014).]
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