Golden State's Teachers Getting Better Prepared
California has reduced its number of under-prepared teachers over the last decade, according to a new study that analyzed the state's teaching workforce and how many educators possess credentials in their respective subjects.
In its latest annual report, "The Status of the Teaching Profession: 2007," the Northern California-based Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, found that the percentage of teachers lacking the appropriate credential dropped from 13 percent in 1997 to just 5 percent this year.
The study also revealed that there are fewer novice teachers in the first or second year of teaching, declining from 46,000 in 2000-01 to 36,000 in 2006-07 and that schools of all types have lower percentages of underprepared teachers. For example, in 2000-01, 23 percent of faculty in low achieving schools were underprepared. In 2006-07, only 8 percent were underprepared.
Find the entire study here.