The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession1

Apuntes

The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession: Prestige, Interest, Preparation, and Satisfaction Over the Last Half Century Matthew A. Kraft Brown University Melissa Arnold Lyon University at Albany We examine the state of the U.S. K–12 teaching profession over the last half century by compiling nationally representative time-series data on four inter- related constructs: occupational prestige, interest among students, the num- ber of individuals preparing for entry, and on-the-job satisfaction. We find a consistent and dynamic pattern across every measure: a rapid decline in the 1970s, a swift rise in the 1980s extending into the mid-1990s, relative sta- bility, and then a sustained decline beginning around 2010. The current state of the teaching profession is at or near its lowest levels in 50 years. We identify and explore a range of hypotheses that might explain these historical patterns including economic and sociopolitical factors, education policies, and school environments. K EYWORDS : teacher, occupational prestige, teacher preparation, teacher satis- faction, teaching profession Introduction Few other occupations in the United States are as large or as important as the t...