The Certification and Experience of U.S. Public School Teachers

At least 90 percent of the nation’s public school students were taught by state certified teachers in 2011-12 (school year), 2013, and 2015, according to a new report. It also reports, at least 75 percent of students had a teacher with more than five years of experience in 2011–12 and 2015. However, these percentages varied based on the characteristics of the school, such as its location, the demographics of the students, and among jurisdictions.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the Institute of Education Sciences, released the new report which describes the certification status and experiences of U.S. public school teachers and their variations among student subgroups. This data snapshot includes the percentage of U.S. public school students who are taught by teachers with state certification, with more than five years of experience, and with a postsecondary degree in the subject in which they teach.

Examples of variations in the percentage presented in the report for both grades 4 and 8 include:

•    The percentage of students who had a mathematics teacher with state certification was lower for students in schools located in cities than for students in suburban schools. The percentage was also lower for students in schools with high minority enrollment than for students in schools with lower minority enrollment;

•    The percentages of students who had a mathematics teacher with state certification were lower for students eligible for the National School Lunch Program than for noneligible students and lower for Black students than for White students; and

•    The percentage of students who had a mathematics teacher with state certification ranged from 59 percent to 100 percent across jurisdictions.

This report used two datasets: The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). SASS provides a comprehensive picture as it includes teachers of K–12 students in all subjects. Approximately 47,600 teachers from 9,800 public schools were sampled for the SASS conducted in 2011-12 school year. NAEP provides a picture specific to grades 4 and 8 and is directly related to teachers of two key subjects: reading and mathematics. Approximately 21,000 grade 4 teachers from about 7,000 public schools and about 13,000 grade 8 teachers from about 6,000 public schools participated in 2015 NAEP assessments of reading and mathematics.