Changes in Teaching Workforce over 25 Years

Between 1987 and 2012, the teacher work force in America’s schools grew by 46 percent and became more racially and ethnically diverse, according to a new report released today April 11.

The National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences released the new statistical analysis report, entitled A Quarter Century of Changes in the Elementary and Secondary Teaching Force: From 1987 to 2012.

Among the findings about changes in the teacher workforce over this 25 year period:

•    The teacher work force grew by 46 percent between 1987-88 and 2011-12. Above average growth was seen among teachers in the fields of English as a Second Language, English language arts, mathematics, foreign language, natural science, and special education. Below-average growth was seen in the fields of general elementary education, vocational-technical education, and art/music;

•    The growth in the teaching force varied across different types of schools. The teaching force in high-poverty public schools grew by nearly 325 percent while the number of teachers in low-poverty schools declined by almost 20 percent. The number of teachers in private schools grew at a higher rate than in public schools. However, private school teachers still account for only about 12 percent of the teacher work force; and

•    The teacher force became more diverse. While minority teachers remain underrepresented in the teaching force, both the number and proportion of minority teachers increased. Between 1987–88 and 2011–12, the number of minority teachers grew by 104 percent, compared to 38 percent growth in the number of White teachers. The percentage of teachers who belonged to all minority groups increased from 12.4 percent in 1987-88 to 17.3 percent in 2011-12.

This report utilizes data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a large-scale sample survey of elementary and secondary teachers and schools in the United States. SASS has been conducted seven times—in school years 1987–88, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12.