Examination of factors that contribute to a sustained commitment to the teaching profession suggests that motivation is influenced by nationality, socioeconomic background, gender, and point in time. In general, minority teachers come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and have greater access to teaching than to some other professions. Rewards…

A comprehensive teacher demand, supply, and shortage (TDSS) model is proposed as a conceptual framework for analyzing and determining the teaching force in bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education. Available data on the shortage of bilingual education teachers are reviewed, and new national data on their characteristics are…

This newsletter reports research findings from 31 rural New York school districts on teacher recruitment and retention. Of 31 superintendents interviewed in September 1987, 55% reported rising elementary enrollment; 61% had difficulty filling positions; 84% had too few applicants; and 68% reported a scarcity of appropriately certified applicants.…

This study describes the changes in demographic characteristics of beginning teachers who entered the profession between 1956-57 and 1976. Existing literature on beginning teachers is examined to construct an image of the changes that have occurred among those choosing teaching careers. National and statewide samples are reviewed; however,…

The shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers is a problem likely to grow in the coming decade, reflecting teacher shortages in other subject specialties. In 1981, almost five times more science and mathematics teachers left to take nonteaching jobs than did teachers in other disciplines. Replacements for these teachers are often…

In considering the problem of recruiting and retaining the most able candidates for teaching, five dilemmas facing the profession are discussed. They are: Equity vs. Excellence; Egalitarianism vs. Differentiation; Teaching: Art or Science; the Curriculum--Standardization vs. Individualization; and The Focus of Instruction. The following problems…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS), this study shows that almost half the NLS respondents teaching in 1979 did not report teaching plans in high school, whereas three-fourths of those planning to teach were not teaching in 1979. (Author/BW)

Professional development for teachers of mathematics is changing dramatically. It is changing, in terms of content and pedagogy--because of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, which imply a more collaborative, constructive, and student-centered approach to instruction--and in terms of format--because of research on the…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has developed and made available sophisticated teaching assessments in nearly two dozen fields. This paper draws on an array of research evidence, and data gathering in four urban communities with large representations of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), to describe three major…

This newsletter presents articles on: preparing, recruiting, and retaining the best teachers; the RAND project designed to examine the need for high quality programs that impact classroom practice (focusing on mathematics and reading); accountability reform (whether accountability policies improve student achievement); organizational and…

This first section of this report profiles the first five Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC) cohorts (1997-98 through 2001-02), including patterns of district and school participation and characteristics of all 164 candidates enrolled by district during the first 5 years. It addresses the question of who participates in ARTC. The second…

Through No Child Left Behind, states receive funds that can be used to address "challenges to teacher quality, whether they concern teacher preparation and qualifications of new teachers, recruitment and hiring, induction, professional development, teacher retention, or the need for more capable principals and assistant principals to serve as…

Few educational problems have received more attention than has the failure to ensure that the nation's classrooms are staffed by qualified teachers. Many states have pushed for more-rigorous preservice teacher education, training, and certification standards. Moreover, a host of recruitment initiatives have attempted to increase the supply of…

Questions related to motivation of trainee teachers who have changed careers and become trainee teachers are examined. Perceptions held by recruits that led them to choose teaching are then analysed and factors that may deter trainee teachers from remaining in the profession are considered. (Contains 2 notes.)

In school finance lawsuits plaintiffs often claim that pay levels are not sufficient to recruit teachers who can deliver constitutionally-mandated levels of educational services. In this paper I consider several ways in which one might bring economic theory and data to bear on that question. I conclude that at present, and at least for the near…