Project explores nature of U.S. teaching force

Has the elementary and secondary teaching force in the United States changed in recent years? And if so, how?

To answer these questions, Richard Ingersoll and Lisa Merrill recently embarked on a research project to explore trends over the past two decades and were surprised by what they found. The teaching force has, indeed, been changing—and some of the most dramatic trends appear to be little noticed by researchers, policymakers, and the public.

For example, K–12 teaching has long been one of the largest occupational groups in the United States, and it is growing even larger. Although elementary and secondary student enrollment (public, private, and charter) has risen 19% since the mid-1980s, the number of teachers has increased at a far faster rate, growing 48%.

For more, read the article in Educational Leadership
online.