PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS

Transcription

1 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS C. Emily Feistritzer NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

2 Copyright 2005 by the National Center for Education Information All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form -- except for brief quotations (not to exceed 1,000 words) in a review or professional work -- without written permission of the publisher. The National Center for Education Information (NCEI) is a private, non-partisan research organization in Washington, D. C. specializing in survey research and data analysis. Founded in 1979, NCEI has conducted several national and state studies which include: surveys of teachers, school administrators, school board presidents, state departments of education, local school districts and individuals interested in becoming teachers. NCEI has produced 34 data-based reports in the last decade, including: ALTERNATIVE TEACHER CERTIFICATION: A State by State Analysis, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, , 1997, 1996, 1995, , , 1991 and 1990; THE MAKING OF A TEACHER: A Report on Teacher Preparation in the U.S. (1984 and 1999); PROFILE OF TROOPS TO TEACHERS; WHO WANTS TO TEACH?; SURVEY OF ARMY PERSONNEL INTERESTED IN TEACHING; PROFILE OF TEACHERS IN THE U.S. (1996, 1990 AND 1986); PROFILE OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IN THE U.S.; PROFILE OF SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTS IN THE U.S.; TEACHER SUPPLY AND DEMAND SURVEYS; CHEATING OUR CHILDREN: WHY WE NEED SCHOOL REFORM; TEACHER CRISIS: MYTH OR REALITY? The contents of this were developed with program funds under a grant from the Department of Education. However those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Copies of PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS can be obtained for $29, plus $10 shipping and handling, from: NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION 4401A Connecticut Ave., N.W., PMB 212 Washington, D.C Phone: Fax: Web site: Information in this publication can also be found on the National Center for Alternative Certification Web site at Library of Congress ISBN

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables... iii Page List of Charts... iv List of Figures...v SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS... vi INTRODUCTION...1 DEMOGRAPHICS...7 Age...8 Gender...8 Race...9 Highest Academic Degree Held...10 Type of Community Teach In...11 Grade Levels Teaching...12 Subjects Teaching...13 Years of Teaching Experience...14 Salary...14 MAIN ACTIVITY BEFORE ENTERING AN ALTERNATE ROUTE TO TEACHER CERTIFICATION...15 WOULD YOU HAVE BECOME A TEACHER IF AN ALTERNATE ROUTE TO CERTIFICATION HAD NOT BEEN AVAILABLE?...18 By Main Activity Before Alternate Route...20 By Age...20 By Gender...20 By Race...20 By Type of Community...20 MAIN REASONS FOR ENTERING/FOR STAYING IN TEACHING...21 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS i

4 Page SATISFACTION By Prior Activity By Age By Type of Community PLANS FIVE YEARS FROM NOW By Age By Sub-Groups By Main Activity Before Alternate Route HOW LONG PLAN TO STAY IN TEACHING By Age MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLES IN CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE ROUTE PERCEPTIONS OF COMPETENCE TO TEACH TEACH DURING THE ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAM? COLLEGE EDUCATION COURSES LENGTH OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS RATING COMPONENTS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS HELPFULNESS OF SUPPORT PROVIDED WHAT IS RATED AS MOST VALUABLE IN DEVELOPING COMPETENCE TO TEACH MEASUREMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS TO TEACH MOBILITY AND WILLINGNESS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS TO MOVE WHERE JOB DEMAND IS GREATEST RECOMMEND ALTERNATE ROUTES? APPENDIX A -- METHODOLOGY APPENDIX B CLASSIFICATION OF ALTERNATE ROUTES APPENDIX C ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS ii PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

5 List of Tables Table 1. Table 2. Page Demographic Profile of Teachers Entering Through Alternate Routes to Certification...4 Age When Began an Alternate Route Program...7 Table 3. Special Education Subjects Taught...12 Table 4. Main Activity the Year Before Entering an Alternate Route to Teacher Certification...16 Table 5. Would You Have Become a Teacher if an Alternate Route to Certification Had Not Been Available?...19 Table 6. Additional Reasons for Becoming a Teacher...22 Table 7. Satisfaction by Prior Activity...25 Table 8. Satisfaction by Age...27 Table 9. Satisfaction by Type of Community Teach In...29 Table 10. Importance of Variables in Choosing an Alternate Route...35 Table 11. How Competent Did/Do You Feel in These Areas of Teaching?...37 Table 12. Did You Actually Teach As a Part of the ATC Program?...39 Table 13. Table 14. Table 15. Did You Take College Education Courses During Your ATC Program?...40 How Helpful Was Each of the Following Components of your ATC Program in Developing Competence to Teach?...43 Helpfulness of Support Provided in Alternate Route Program When Support Was Provided...47 Table 16. Frequency of Support Provided...48 Table 17. Table 18. Table 19. Table 20. Table 21. Table 22. What Type of Community Would You be Willing to Teach in?...52 How Likely Would You be to Move From Where You Live to Where the Demand for Teachers is Greatest?...52 How Many Career Changes Have You Made in Your Life so Far?...53 Did You Complete Your Undergraduate College Education Within 150 Miles of the Place Where You Were Born?...53 Are You Now Teaching Within 150 Miles of the Place Where You Were Born?...54 Would You Recommend an Alternative Route to Teacher Certification to Others Interested in Becoming Teachers?...56 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS iii

6 List of Charts Page Chart 1 Age When Began an Alternate Route Program... 7 Chart 2 Current Age... 8 Chart 3 Gender... 8 Chart 4 Race... 9 Chart 5 Highest Academic Degree Held Chart 6 Type of Community Teach In Chart 7 Current Grade Level You Teach Chart 8 Subjects Teaching Chart 9 Years of Teaching Experience Chart 10 Current Annual Contract Salary as a Teacher for the School Year Chart 11 Activity One Year Prior to Beginning AR Program Chart 12 Main Activity Before Entering an Alternate Route Program Chart 13 Would You Have Become a Teacher if an Alternate Route Wasn t Available? Chart 14 Main Reasons for Entering and for Staying in Teaching Chart 15 Percent of Teachers Very Satisfied with These Aspects of Teaching Chart 16 What Do You Expect to Be Doing Five Years From Now? Chart 17 How Long Do You Plan to Teach in K-12? Chart 18 Very Important Reasons in Choosing an Alternate Route to Teaching Chart 19 Semester Hours in Education Courses Taken in ATC Program Chart 20 Time to Get Certified Through Alternative Route Chart 21 Support Received Was Very Helpful Chart 22 Would You Recommend an Alternate Route? iv PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

7 List of Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Page Who has primary responsibility for alternate route programs...64 Length of alternate route programs...65 Participants function as a cohort during the alternate route program...65 Entry requirements for alternate route programs...66 Figure 5 Program requirements for alternate route programs...67 Figure 6 Teach during alternate route program...67 Figure 7 College tuition-based courses required...68 Figure 8 Evaluation of alternate route candidates...68 Figure 9 Frequency of support provided by mentors...69 Figure 10 Frequency of support provided by college/university personnel...69 Figure 11 Assessments of candidates...70 Figure 12 Criteria for certification...70 Figure 13 Type of certificate issued upon completion of an alternate route program...71 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS v

8 SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS The appeal of alternative certification. Nearly half (47 percent) of those entering teaching through alternate routes say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route to certification had not been available. o o The data indicate that the older one gets the less inclined one is to enter teaching without an alternate route. More than half (59 percent) of those surveyed who were in their 50s or older when they entered an alternate route say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route had not been available. Half (50 percent) of those in their 40s, 46 percent of those in their 30s and 45 percent in their 20s say they would not have become teachers if an alternate route had not been available. Further, in the absence of an alternative certification route: o o o More than half (54 percent) of individuals entering teaching from a professional occupation say they would not have become teachers. More than half (52 percent) of men compared to 45 percent of women say they would not have become a teacher. Fifty-three percent of Hispanics compared to 48 percent of whites and 43 percent of African- Americans in the survey say they would not have become a teacher. Age, gender and race differences. The alternatively certified teacher population has more males, more minorities and more older people than the population of teachers who obtain certification via the traditional route. o Thirty-seven percent of the sample were men and 63 percent were women. Twenty-five percent of the teaching force in the United States is male. o Seventy-two percent of those surveyed were 30 or older; 47 percent were 40 or older and 20 percent were older than 50. o Thirty-two percent were non-white compared to 10 percent of the overall teacher population. Educational background. Nearly eight out of 10 enter an alternative certification program with a bachelor degree or higher in a field other than education. Education as a new career. Nearly half (47 percent) of the people entering teaching through alternate routes were working in a non-education job before they began an alternative teacher certification program; 40 percent were working in a professional occupation outside the field of education. Minority attraction. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of entrants into teaching via alternate routes are nonwhite compared to 11 percent of the current teaching force. Satisfaction with alternative certification. Only 3 percent of those entering teaching through alternate routes say they would not recommend an alternate route to teacher certification to others interested in becoming teachers. Retaining teachers. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of the survey respondents entering teaching through alternate routes expect to be teaching K-12 five years from now. Another 24 percent expect to be in some other job in education. States with the highest percentage of alternatively certified teachers report that 87 percent of them are still teaching after five years. Only 5 percent of respondents report they expect to be employed in an occupation outside of education five years from now. Only 2 percent report they expect to be retired completely compared to 22 percent of the overall teaching force. vi PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

9 INTRODUCTION Twenty years ago the alternative certification movement for teachers was in its fledgling stage. The idea that high quality teachers could be recruited from outside established education channels was regarded as avant-garde if not downright radical. Experience in states all over the country has proven that educated individuals from a wide variety of occupations, including the military, can and do make excellent teachers. Teachers entering through alternate routes have become an important part of our education system, imparting their knowledge and experience to a generation of students and providing a vital source of talent and energy. This survey offers the first demographic profile of the men and women who have chosen the alternative route to certification as teachers. It provides us with important information not only about who chooses to become a teacher by taking an alternate route to the traditional campus-based college teacher education program route but also about why they make the choice and what they value in the experience. The importance of this survey becomes evident when we consider that the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act are pressing America s schools for just the sort of teachers that the alternate certification movement is producing not only more teachers but more teachers who are highly qualified in their subjects. The results of this survey can help guide us toward the likely individuals in our society who might be interested in teaching as a first or a second career; we can alter the process to make it more effective and more attractive, and we can gain important insight into what does and doesn t work. A word about terminology. As time marches on and alternate routes to teacher certification proliferate, it is important to note that, in order to teach in public schools, one has to be certified, and the ONLY entity in the United States of America that can certify or license individuals to teach in public schools in this nation is the state in which one is teaching. Each state has its own certification requirements. To date, there is no national certification for entry into teaching. In keeping with states rights regarding certification of teachers, the National Center for Education Information has established that if a state calls a route or avenue or pathway to teacher certification an alternate route, it is an alternate route, regardless of who administers it or who implements it. Also, there has been some confusion about definitions. Since 1983, NCEI has analyzed this topic in great detail and has determined that alternative teacher certification, alternative routes to teacher certification and alternate routes to teacher certification are synonymous. In most states, the alternate routes to teacher certification lead to the issuance of the same type of beginning certificate that individuals who complete a college-based teacher education route receive. The term, alternate route refers to a state s guidelines or provisions for alternative paths to teacher certification other than the traditional college-based teacher education program routes to certification. An alternate route program refers to the actual program as NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 1

10 implemented by a provider in the state. For example, the Houston Independent School District Alternative Certification Program is one of the 67 programs in the state of Texas that is following and implementing the state s established basic guidelines for an alternate route to certification. Whatever they are called, alternate routes to teacher certification in the states and alternate route programs within the states are proliferating at a rapid rate in the United States and are now a major source of new teachers. The movement began in New Jersey, Texas and California in the early 1980s as a way to both ward off projected shortages of teachers and eliminate the alarming increase of emergency certificates. Alternative routes, as this survey demonstrates, also are having a major impact on the profile of who is coming into the teaching profession. In addition, the programs they are going through are changing the way all teachers are entering the profession. NCEI has been surveying the states since 1983 about what they are doing in providing alternatives to the traditional campus-based college teacher education program route for certifying teachers and began cataloguing that information in an annual publication, ALTERNATIVE TEACHER CERTIFICATION: A State-by-State Analysis. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia are now implementing approximately 538 alternate route programs that produced approximately 35,000 newly certified teachers in The numbers are growing rapidly. Based on data submitted by the states, NCEI estimates that more than 250,000 persons have been licensed through alternative routes to teacher certification programs, with most of the growth occurring in the last decade. Most important, nearly all individuals who complete an alternate route to teacher certification program are teaching the following year. By comparison, only 40 percent of the 200,000 graduates taking the conventional route who receive a bachelor s degree and are identified as qualified to teach are actually teaching one year later, according to the U.S. Department of Education s Baccalaureate and Beyond studies. As more states have instituted legislation for alternative routes to teacher certification, an increasing number of institutions of higher education have initiated non-traditional alternative programs that include on-the-job training for the preparation of post-baccalaureate candidates for teaching. Success breeds success. In the past decade, alternative teacher certification has evolved as a respectable practice and has spawned many new pathways that provide excellent preparation and training for a career in teaching. The primary reason for this development is that alternative routes to teacher certification are one of the few truly market-driven phenomena in American education. The demand-for-teachers issue has gotten considerable attention in the past several years. What has received much less attention is the supply side the dramatic changes in who wants to teach. The most dramatic change in the past few years has been a shift toward people beginning their preparation to teach later in life and later in their careers. Furthermore, many of these new professionals intend to remain in the classroom as these survey results show. 2 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

11 Most teachers entering the profession through alternate routes are recruited for areas where the demand for teachers is greatest in large cities and rural areas and in subject areas in greatest demand special education, mathematics and science. The alternate route programs are created and designed specifically to meet the needs in those areas, as well as the specific needs of prospective teachers who come from other careers and with considerable life experiences. These programs get prospective teachers into the classroom early, usually as a full-time teacher, earning a salary, while working with experienced teachers. Alternative routes for preparing and licensing teachers are attracting large numbers of highly qualified, talented and enthusiastic individuals to the teaching profession. Applicants to these programs number in the thousands. Most are highly educated, life-experienced adults who want to teach and to improve America s educational system. Many of them think alternative routes not only make the most sense, but also provide the best preparation for the real world of teaching. An ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS can be found in Appendix C, using data provided to the National Center for Alternative Certification, which was created in 2003 by the National Center for Education Information with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The results of this 45-item questionnaire survey provide new insights into who they are, why they chose to teach, how they are transitioning into teaching, what they think is important and not important in developing competence to teach, how long they plan to stay in teaching and a host of other issues. This project could not have been accomplished without the competent work of many people. First of all, I want to thank the individuals who assisted in providing the samples of alternate route teachers: Eileen McDaniel from Florida, Ron Kettler from Texas; Vicki Bernstein from New York, Tom McGinnity from the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center, and John Gantz from Troops to Teachers. I am deeply indebted to Steven Griffin at the Florida Center for Interactive Media of Florida State University, as well as Sande Milton and Pam Flood of FSU and Karen Wilde, just retired from the Florida State Department of Education, for their expertise in survey data and analysis programming. I wish to thank Charlene Haar and Larry Meyer for their seemingly endless editing, Jason Hobar and Amanda Scullion for their tireless work in formatting charts and tables and Emily Joseph for making sure every number in the report is accurate. Lastly, a huge thank you to all the alternate route teachers who completed the survey, to the state officials who, year after year, provide us with such detailed and rich information about their alternate routes and to the providers of alternate route programs who have been so generous in sharing data and information about your individual programs. Emily Feistritzer June 1, 2005 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 3

12 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Table 1. Demographic Profile of Teachers Entering Through Alternate Routes to Certification N = 2647 Age at Entry into Alternate Route % Age Now Gender Male 37 Female 63 Race American Indian or Alaskan Native 1 Asian American 2 Black or African American 12 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 Hispanic or Latino 14 White 68 Multiracial 2 Highest Academic Degree Held Bachelor in education 3 Bachelor in other field 57 Master in education 19 Master in other field 18 Doctorate in education * Doctorate in other field 1 Law degree 1 Medical degree * Other 1 * Less than 0.5 percent 4 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

13 Table 1. Demographic Profile (continued) % Type Community Teaching In Rural area (less than 10,000) 8 Small town (10,000 19,999) 6 Small city (20,000 49,999) 10 Medium city (50, ,999) 16 Large city (250,000 +) 50 Suburban or outside central city 10 Grade Level Teaching In Pre-K 4 Elementary/Kindergarten 36 Middle/Junior High 30 Senior High 30 Subjects Teaching General General Elementary 22 Special Areas Mathematics 20 Reading 10 Science Biology/Life science 6 Chemistry 3 Geology/Earth science/space science 4 Physical science 5 Physics 2 General and other science 8 Vocational-technical education Business, marketing 2 Special education Special education, general 14 Emotionally disturbed 9 Mentally retarded 5 Speech/Language impaired 4 Mildly handicapped 3 Specific learning disabilities 7 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 5

14 Table 1. Demographic Profile (continued) % Years of Teaching Experience 1 year or less 27 2 years 26 3 years 17 4 years 10 5 years 7 More than 5 years 13 Salary Less than $25,000 2 $25,000-29,999 6 $30,000-34, $35,000-39, $40,000-44, $45,000-49,999 9 $50,000-54,999 2 $55,000-59,999 1 $60,000-64,999 1 $65,000-69,999 * $70,000-74,999 * $75,000-79,999 * $80,000-84,999 * $85,000-89,999 0 $90,000-94,999 * $95,000-99,999 0 $100,000 or more * * Less than 0.5 percent 6 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

15 DEMOGRAPHICS Alternate routes are bringing older adults, more men and more minorities into teaching who are teaching subjects and in geographic areas where the demand for teachers is greatest. Age Chart 1 Age When Began an Alternate Route Program 11% 17% 28% 20% % Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of teachers who are entering the profession through alternate routes are 30 years of age or older at the time of entry into an alternate route to teacher certification. Four in 10 (39 percent) alternate route teachers entered a program at age 40 or older. More than one in 10 (11 percent) began an alternate route to teacher certification when they were 50 years or older. Table 2. Age When Began an Alternate Route Program ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Age in years % NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 7

16 Current Age Chart 2 Current Age 20% 6% 27% 22% % Gender Chart 3 Male Percent AR Teachers All New Teachers All Teachers Source of all new teachers and all teachers: U.S. Department of Education, Schools and Staffing Survey Thirty-seven percent of individuals entering teaching through alternate routes are male. This number compares to 25 percent of the teaching force that is male and 25 percent of new teachers hired in the school year who are male, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Data from the National Education Association s Status of the American Public School Teacher , show 21 percent of the public school teaching force as male. 8 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

17 Race Chart 4 2% 1%2% Race 13% American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian American 1% Black or African American 14% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Hispanic or Latino White 67% Multiracial Nearly one-third (32 percent) of entrants into teaching through alternate routes are persons of color, compared to 11 percent of the overall teaching force, according to data from a survey of all public school teachers currently underway by the National Center for Education Information; the National Center for Education Statistics and The National Education Association have reported similar findings. Thirty-eight percent of teachers entering through alternate routes in large cities (population 250,000+) and 33 percent in medium cities (50, ,999) are non-white, compared to 22 percent in suburbs, 23 percent in small towns, 24 percent in rural areas and 26 percent in small cities. There is no significant difference in the percentage of persons of color entering teaching through an alternate route from other professions, from a prior education job or from being a student. By age group, 40 percent of those who entered teaching in their 30s are persons of color, compared to 33 percent 18 29, 28 percent in their 40s and 22 percent 50 years of age and older. By gender, 35 percent of women, compared to 28 percent of men, who enter teaching through alternate routes are persons of color. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 9

18 Highest Academic Degree Held Chart 5 19% 18% 1% 1% 0% Highest Degree Earned 0% 1% 3% Bachelor in education 57% Bachelor in other field Master in education Master in other field Doctorate in education Doctorate in other field Law degree Medical degree Other Nearly nine out of ten teachers entering through alternate routes do so holding a bachelor degree or higher in a field other than education. A bachelor degree in a field other than education is the highest academic degree held by the largest proportion of respondents (57 percent), followed by a master degree in education (19 percent) and a master degree in a field other than education (18 percent). Of the 2,554 respondents to the question, 23 have a law degree, 8 a medical degree, 27 a doctorate in a field other than education, 5 have a doctorate in education and 86 (3 percent) hold as their highest academic degree a bachelor degree in education. Men are twice as likely as women to have a non-education master degree (26 percent to 14 percent). Fifty-nine percent of women, compared to 49 percent of men, hold, as their highest academic degree, a bachelor degree in a field other than education. 10 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

19 Type of Community Teach In Chart 6 What Type of Community Do You Teach In? 50% 10% 8% Rural area (less than 6% 10,000) 10% 16% Small town (10,000 19,999) Small city (20,000 49,999) Medium city (50, ,999) Large city (250,000 +) Suburban or outside central city Half (50 percent) of survey respondents report they are teaching in a large city (population 250,000 or more), 16 percent in a medium-sized city (50, ,999), 10 percent in a suburban area outside a central city, 10 percent in a small city, 8 percent in a rural area (less than 10,000) and 6 percent in a small town (10,000-19,999). These results are compared to 14 percent of all teachers who teach in a large city and 15 percent who teach in a medium city, 15 percent in the suburbs, 13 percent in a small city, 17 percent in a small town and 26 percent in a rural area, according to survey now underway by the National Center for Education Information. Data from the National Education Association s Status of the American Public School Teacher , show the following breakdown for where teachers teach: Rural 40 percent; Urban 30 percent and Suburban 30 percent. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 11

20 Grade Levels Teaching Chart 7 Current Grade Level You Teach 30% 4% 36% Pre-K Elementary/Kindergarten Middle/Junior High 30% Senior High Four percent of those surveyed are teaching Pre-K, 36 percent elementary/kindergarten, 30 percent middle/junior high and 30 percent senior high. About 56 percent of the overall teaching force teaches elementary/kindergarten, 12 percent middle/junior high, 7 percent high school and the remaining 24 percent schools that combine one or more of the above. Subjects Teaching Twenty-two percent of survey respondents are teaching general elementary, 20 percent mathematics, 10 percent reading, 6 percent biology/life science, 3 percent chemistry, 4 percent geology/earth science/space science, 5 percent physical science, 2 percent physics, 8 percent general and other science, 2 percent business, marketing. Special education the area of teaching in greatest demand is well represented by individuals coming into teaching through alternate routes. Table 3. Special Education Subjects Taught Percent General special education 14 Emotionally disturbed 9 Mentally retarded 5 Speech/language impaired 4 Deaf and hard-of-hearing 2 Visually handicapped 1 Orthopedically impaired 2 Mildly handicapped 3 Severely handicapped 2 Specific learning disabilities 7 Other special education 4 12 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

21 Subjects Teaching Chart 8 Current Subjects Taught General elementary Mathematics Special Education, general Reading Emotionally disturbed General and other science Specific learning disabilities Biology/Life science Mentally retarded Physical science Other special education Speech/Language impaired Geology/Earth Science/Space science Mildly handicapped Chemistry Severely handicapped Orthopedically impaired Deaf and hard-of-hearing Business, marketing Physics Visually handicapped Percent Alternate route teachers are teaching subjects that are in greatest demand for teachers. One-fifth (20 percent) of teachers coming through alternate routes, compared to 6 percent of all public school teachers, teach mathematics. Fourteen percent of alternate route teachers, compared to 8 percent of all teachers, teach general special education. The pattern continues for all high demand subject areas. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 13

22 Years of Teaching Experience Chart 9 Years of Teaching Experience 13% 7% 10% 17% 27% 26% 1 year or less 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years More than 5 years More than one in four (27 percent) survey respondents indicate they had been teaching one year or less. Twenty-six percent say they had been teaching for 2 years, 17 percent for 3 years, 10 percent for 4 years, 7 percent between for 5 years and 13 percent say they have more than 5 years of total teaching experience. Salary Chart 10 Current annual contract salary as a teacher for the school year Percent Less than $25,000 $25,000-29, $30,000-34,999 $35,000-39,999 $40,000-44,999 $45,000-49,999 $50,000-54,999 $55,000-59,999 $60,000-64,999 $65,000-69,999 $70,000-74,999 $75,000-79,999 $80,000-84,999 $85,000-89,999 $90,000-94,999 $95,000-99,999 $100,000 or more Eighty percent of entrants into teaching through alternate routes are earning between $30,000 and $45,000 from their annual contract teacher s salary. Eight percent earn less than $30,000, and 13 percent earn more than $45, PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

23 MAIN ACTIVITY BEFORE ENTERING AN ALTERNATE ROUTE TO TEACHER CERTIFICATION Main Activity Prior to AR Chart 11 Activity One Year Prior to Beginning AR Program Working outside of education Working in education fields Student Military service Out of labor market 22 Other Nearly half (47 percent) of the people entering teaching through alternate routes were working in a non-education job the year before they began an alternate route to teacher certification program 40 percent were working in a professional occupation outside the field of education. Seventeen percent were working in a teaching job, e.g., as a substitute (10 percent), teaching a subject(s) for which they needed to obtain certification to meet the No Child Left Behind requirements (3 percent), teaching in a private school (2 percent), teaching in a college or university (1 percent), or teaching in a pre-school (1 percent). Five percent were working in a position in the field of education, but not as a teacher. Twelve percent were students and 9 percent of the NCEI sample had been in the military the year before they began an alternate route program, 2 percent were caring for family members, 2 percent were unemployed and seeking work and 1 percent were retired. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 15

24 Table 4. Main Activity the Year Before Entering an Alternate Route to Teacher Certification ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Working in a professional occupation outside the field of education 40 Working in some other non-education job 7 Military service 9 Undergraduate student at a 4-year college or university 9 Graduate student at a 4-year college or university 3 Student at a community college 0 Caring for family members 2 Working as a substitute teacher or paraprofessional 10 ALL % Teaching subject(s) for which I need to obtain certification to meet No Child Left Behind Requirements 3 Teaching in preschool 1 Teaching in a private school 2 Teaching at a college or university 1 Working in a position in the field of education, but not as a teacher 5 Unemployed and seeking work 2 Retired from another job 1 Other 4 16 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

25 Chart 12 Main Activity Before Entering an Alternate Route Program Working in a professional occupation outside the field of education 40 Working as a substitute teacher or paraprofessional 10 Military service 9 Undergraduate student at a 4-year college or university 9 Working in some other non-education job 7 Working in a position in the field of education, but not as a teacher 5 Teaching subject(s) for which I need to obtain certification to meet No Child Left Behind Requirements 3 Graduate student at a 4-year college or university 3 Unemployed and seeking work 2 Teaching in a private school 2 Caring for family members 2 Retired from another job 1 Teaching at a college or university 1 Teaching in preschool 1 Student at a community college Percent NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 17

26 WOULD YOU HAVE BECOME A TEACHER IF AN ALTERNATE ROUTE TO CERTIFICATION HAD NOT BEEN AVAILABLE? Chart 13 Would You Have Become a Teacher if an Alternate Route Wasn't Available? No 6% 25% 22% 47% Yes, I would have gone back to college and completed a traditional teacher education program. Yes, I would have found a job in a private school or in a setting in which I did not have to be certified. Not sure Nearly half (47 percent) of those entering teaching through alternate routes say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route to certification had not been available. An additional 25 percent say they are not sure. Twenty-two percent say they would have gone back to college and completed a traditional teacher education program and 6 percent report they would have found a job in a private school or in a setting in which they would not have to be certified. 18 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

27 Table 5. Would You Have Become a Teacher if an Alternate Route to Certification Had Not Been Available? No ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Yes, I would have found a Yes, I would job in a have private completed a school or in a traditional setting in teacher which I did education not have to program be certified Not sure % % % % All respondents By Prior Main Activity Before AR Professionals 1, Other non-education job Students Teacher-related job By Age By Gender Male Female 1, By Race Black or African American Hispanic or Latino White 1, Other NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 19

28 By Main Activity Before Alternate Route More than half (54 percent) of individuals entering teaching from a professional occupation say they would not have become teachers if an alternate route had not been available. About a third, 35 percent of participants in alternate routes whose main activity before entering the program was a teacher-related job, and 46 percent who had been students the year before entering an alternate route program, say they would not have become teachers without an alternative route. Fewer than one in five (18 percent) career switchers and former students say they would have gone back to college and completed a traditional program in order to become a teacher. By Age The data indicate that the older one gets the less inclined one is to enter teaching without an alternate route. Nearly six out of 10 (59 percent) of those surveyed who were in their 50s or older when they entered an alternate route say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route had note been available. Half (50 percent) of those in their 40s, 46 percent of those in their 30s and 45 percent of those in their 20s report they would not have become teachers if an alternate route had not been available. By Gender More than half (52 percent) of men entering teaching through alternate routes, compared to 45 percent of women, say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route had not been available. By Race More than half (53 percent) of individuals who identify themselves as Hispanic say they would not have become a teacher if an alternate route had not been available, compared to 48 percent of whites and 43 percent of African Americans who indicate they would not have become teachers without an alternate route. By Type of Community There are no significant differences in response to this question by type of community in which one taught. 20 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

29 Chart 14 MAIN REASONS FOR ENTERING/ FOR STAYING IN TEACHING Main Reasons for Entering or For Staying in Teaching Desire to Work with Young People Value or Significance of Education in Society Interest in subject-matter field Long Summer Vacation Influence of a Teacher in Elementary or Secondary School Want a Change from Other Work Spend More Time with My Family Job Security Sense of Freedom In My Own Classroom Employment mobility Too Much Invested to Leave Now Need a Second Income in the Family Financial rewards One of the Few Professions Open to Me Never Really Considered Anything Else Influence of a Teacher or Adviser in College Original Present Preparation Program in College Appealed to Me Percent NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 21

30 Desire to work with young people and value and significance of education in society are far and away the Number One and Number Two reasons individuals entering teaching through alternate routes give as their main reasons they decided to become a teacher. They are also the first and second reasons they are still teaching. Sixty-one percent of respondents indicate that desire to work with young people is one of the three main reasons they originally decided to become a teacher and 42 percent listed value and significance of education in society. Respectively, 62 and 45 percent of respondents rate those as reasons for presently still teaching. Interest in subject-matter field came in third at 27 percent, followed by influence of a teacher in elementary or secondary school (23 percent), long summer vacation (22 percent), want a change from other work (21 percent), spend more time with my family (20 percent), and job security (20 percent) as main reasons for originally deciding to become a teacher. Rounding out the reasons for originally deciding to become a teacher are: Table 6. Additional Reasons for Becoming a Teacher. Other reasons for becoming a teacher Percent Employment mobility 12 Sense of freedom in my own classroom 11 Financial rewards 7 Need a second income in my family 5 One of the few professions open to me 5 Influence of a teacher or advisor in college Never really considered anything else 5 Preparation program in college appealed to me Too much invested to leave now Considering reasons for presently still teaching, there is a marked shift in some of the reasons for teaching. Twenty-one percent say one of the main reasons they decided to become a teacher was that they wanted a change from other work, while only 4 percent give this as a reason for still teaching. A sense of freedom in my own classroom rose from 11 percent as an original reason to 19 percent as a reason for still teaching. Too much invested to leave now rose from 1 percent to 6 percent. 22 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

31 SATISFACTION Chart 15 Percent of Teachers 'Very Satisfied' with these Aspects of Teaching Relationship with students 66 Relationship with other teachers 59 Job overall Relationship with principal Sense of freedom and classroom autonomy Relationship with parents of students General working conditions 29 Present curriculum 24 Present textbooks Status of teachers in this community Salary Percent Teachers entering the profession through alternate routes are generally satisfied with most aspects of their teaching jobs. Relationships with students and with other teachers ranks highest in satisfaction across the board. Two out of three (66 percent) of teachers entering through alternate routes are very satisfied with their relationships with students. Only 5 percent expressed any dissatisfaction with their relationships with students. Six in 10 (59 percent) are very satisfied with their relationships with other teachers. Only 6 percent indicate any dissatisfaction with other teachers. Nearly half (45 percent) of alternate route teachers are very satisfied with their relationships with their principals, 13 percent somewhat dissatisfied and 8 percent very dissatisfied with their principals. Nine out of 10 report satisfaction with their jobs overall 45 percent very satisfied and 44 percent somewhat satisfied. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 23

32 Teachers like their autonomy. Almost four out of 10 (39 percent) are very satisfied with sense of freedom and classroom autonomy. Seven percent are very dissatisfied and 13 percent are somewhat dissatisfied with their freedom and autonomy in the classroom. Thirty-seven percent of respondents say they are very satisfied with their relationships with parents of students, 14 percent somewhat dissatisfied and 3 percent very dissatisfied. Satisfaction levels decreased for general working conditions (29 percent very satisfied), curriculum (24 percent very satisfied), textbooks (18 percent) and status of teachers in the community (16 percent). Salary ranks at the bottom, with 23 percent saying they are very dissatisfied and 32 percent somewhat dissatisfied with their salaries. Seven percent were very satisfied with salary and 37 percent were somewhat satisfied. By Prior Activity Individuals who came into an alternate route directly from a prior teaching-related position were slightly more satisfied with aspects of teaching than individuals who were students or who came from other careers, but the differences are not significant. (See Table 7 on pages 25-26) By Age Younger teachers (18 29 years of age) are much less satisfied with numerous aspects of teaching than are teachers over 30. Teachers in their 40s, 50s and 60s are the most satisfied. (See Table 8 on pages 27-28) By Type of Community Teachers in large cities seem to be less satisfied with most aspects of teaching than those teaching in other types of communities. However, there is variation among different large cities. (See Table 9 on pages 29-30) 24 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

33 Table 7. Satisfaction by Prior Activity ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS ALL Professional Prior Activity Non-Ed occupation Student Educ. Overall Job Satisfaction % % % % % Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Principal Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with other Teachers Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Parents of Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 25

34 Table 7. Satisfaction by Prior Activity (continued) ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS ALL Professional Prior Activity Non-Ed occupation Student Educ. % % % % % Present Curriculum Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Present Textbooks Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure General Working Conditions Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Salary Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Status of Teachers in This Community Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Sense of Freedom/Classroom Autonomy Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

35 Table 8. Satisfaction by Age ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Age ALL Overall Job Satisfaction % % % % % % Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Principal Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Other Teachers Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Parents of Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Present Curriculum Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 27

36 Table 8. Satisfaction by Age (continued) ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Age ALL % % % % % % Present Textbooks Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure General Working Conditions Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Salary Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Status of Teachers in This Community Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Sense of Freedom/Classroom Autonomy Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

37 Table 9. Satisfaction By Type of Community Teach In Type of community Rural Small Small Medium Large Suburb town city city city % % % % % % Overall Job Satisfaction Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Principal Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Other Teachers Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Relationship with Parents of Students Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Present Curriculum Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 29

38 Table 9. Satisfaction By Type of Community (continued) Type of Community Rural Small Small Medium Large Suburb town city city city % % % % % % Present Textbooks Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure General Working Conditions Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Salary Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Status of teachers in this community Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure Sense of freedom/classroom autonomy Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Not sure PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

39 PLANS FIVE YEARS FROM NOW Chart 16 What Do You Expect to Be Doing 5 Years From Now? Teaching K Employed in an occupation in education, other than teaching 17 Teaching postsecondary 7 Employed in an occupation outside of education 5 Other 4 Retired from teaching 2 Homemaking and/or child rearing full-time 1 Attending a college or university full-time 1 Retired from job other than teaching 0.1 Unemployed and seeking work 0.1 In military service Percent Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of the survey respondents entering teaching through alternate routes expect to be teaching K-12 five years from now, 7 percent expect to be teaching in a postsecondary institution and 17 percent say they will be employed in an occupation in education other than teaching. Only 5 percent report they expect to be employed in an occupation outside of education. Less than 2 percent say they will be homemaking and/or child rearing full-time and a little over 1 percent will be attending college or university full-time. Two percent say they expect to be retired from teaching. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 31

40 By Age By age group, the differences in whether or not respondent teachers say they will be teaching five years from now are striking. Teachers who entered an alternate route to teacher certification program who were under 30 years of age are much more likely not to be teaching five years from now than those who entered at age 30 or older. Fewer than half (48 percent) of the teachers surveyed between years of age and 51 percent of those between expect to be teaching K-12 five years from now, compared to 64 percent of those between years of age, 69 percent of those in their 40s and 70 percents between who plan to remain in teaching for at least 5 more years. By Sub-groups Responses to the question, What do you expect to be doing five years from now? vary widely by sub-groups. Nearly one in four of the New York City Teaching Fellows indicate they expect to be employed in an occupation in education, other than teaching. Nine percent say they expect to be employed in an occupation outside of education five years from now and 52 percent say they expected to be teaching K-12. Approximately 16 percent of individuals entering teaching through alternate routes in the New York City Teaching Fellows Program, in Texas, in Florida and through Troops to Teachers, expect to be employed in an education occupation other than teaching. Nine percent of recent students, 2 percent of former non-education professionals and only 2 percent of former teachers expect to be working in an occupation outside of education. By Main Activity Before Alternate Route By main activity before entering an alternate route program, the group least likely to be teaching five years from now are those who came directly into teaching from being a student. Of the 12 percent of all respondents who were students right before entering an alternate route program, 53 percent expect to be teaching five years from now. By comparison 62 percent of career changers and 66 percent of former teachers expect to be teaching five years from the time of the survey. 32 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

41 HOW LONG PLAN TO STAY IN TEACHING Chart 17 How Long Do You Plan to Teach in K-12? Percent One year 2 years 3 years 4-5 years 6-9 years years 15 years or more Undecided at this time As long as I am able Fewer than one in 10 (9 percent) individuals entering teaching through alternate routes indicate they might leave teaching in the next three years. Ten percent say they plan to remain in teaching 4-5 five years, 9 percent 6-9 years, 11 percent years, 14 percent 15 years or more, 24 percent as long as I am able and 24 percent are undecided at this time. By Age It appears that individuals who have entered teaching through alternate routes at older ages are more inclined to stay in teaching longer than people entering teaching in their early tolate 20s and 30s. Younger teachers are also the most indecisive about their future plans. People entering teaching through alternate routes who are in their 40s and 50s are the most committed to staying in teaching for 10 or more years. Forty to 50 percent of these teachers plan to stay 10 or more years, and about one-fifth of them say they plan to remain in teaching as long as they are able. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 33

42 MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLES IN CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE ROUTE Chart 18 'Very Important' Reasons In Choosing An Alternate Route To Teaching Receiving a teacher's salary and benefits 76 Being able to teach while getting certified 73 Length of program 57 Out of pocket cost 57 Convenience of course scheduling 52 AC program fitting with my lifestyle 46 Spend more time with your family 40 Guidance from a mentor 35 School based personnel 34 Cohort program 30 Being able to get a master degree 30 Guidance from college faculty Percent Variables that respondents rated very important in choosing an alternate route to teacher certification are: Receiving a teacher s salary and benefits (76 percent); Being able to teach while getting certified (73 percent); Out-of-pocket costs (57 percent); and Length of program (57 percent). The variables that ranked highest in not at all important were: being able to get a master degree (26 percent); guidance from college faculty (21 percent); and being able to go through the program in a cohort (17 percent). Mentoring is considered by many as being a very important component of any teacher preparation program. The responses to the question of the importance of having guidance from a mentor in choosing an alternate route are noteworthy. Thirty-five percent say it is very important; 32 percent somewhat important; 21 percent not very important; 10 percent not at all important and two percent are not sure. 34 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

43 Table 10. Importance of Variables in Choosing an Alternate Route ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Out-of-Pocket Costs Very important 57 Somewhat important 30 Not very important 9 Not at all important 4 Not sure 1 Length of AC Program Very important 57 Somewhat important 31 Not very important 9 Not at all important 3 Not sure.5 Receiving a Teacher's Salary and Benefits Very important 76 Somewhat important 16 Not very important 5 Not at all important 3 Not sure 1 Being Able to Teach While Getting Certified Very important 73 Somewhat important 20 Not very important 4 Not at all important 2 Not sure 1 Convenience of Course Scheduling Very important 52 Somewhat important 33 Not very important 11 Not at all important 3 Not sure 1 Guidance from a Mentor Very important 35 Somewhat important 32 Not very important 21 Not at all important 10 Not sure 2 % NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 35

44 Table 10. Importance of Variables in Choosing an Alternate Route (continued) % School-Based Personnel Very important 34 Somewhat important 35 Not very important 20 Not at all important 9 Not sure 2 Guidance from College Faculty Very important 18 Somewhat important 28 Not very important 28 Not at all important 21 Not sure 6 Being Able to Get a Master Degree Very important 30 Somewhat important 15 Not very important 15 Not at all important 26 Not sure 14 The AR Program Fitting with My Lifestyle Very important 46 Somewhat important 33 Not very important 14 Not at all important 6 Not sure 2 Cohort Program Very important 30 Somewhat important 28 Not very important 22 Not at all important 17 Not sure 3 Spend More Time with My Family Very important 40 Somewhat important 25 Not very important 17 Not at all important 14 Not sure 4 36 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

45 PERCEPTIONS OF COMPETENCE TO TEACH Survey respondents were asked how competent they felt they were in certain areas pertaining to teaching when they began an alternate route program and how competent they felt they were at the time of responding to the survey. Table 11. How Competent Did/Do You Feel in these Areas? When Began an Alternate Route Now % % Ability to Teach Subject Matter Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 13 1 Not at all competent 4 0 Not sure 0 0 Ability to Motivate Students Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 16 2 Not at all competent 3 0 Not sure 0 0 Manage Time Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 21 3 Not at all competent 4 0 Not sure 0 0 Classroom Management Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 30 2 Not at all competent 10 0 Not sure 1 0 Classroom Discipline Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 29 4 Not at all competent 12 0 Not sure 1 0 Organize Instruction Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 25 2 Not at all competent 6 0 Not sure 0 0 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 37

46 Table 11. How Competent Did/Do You Feel in these Areas? (continued) When Began an Alternate Route Now % % Deal with Fellow Teachers Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 7 1 Not at all competent 1 0 Not sure 0 0 Deal with Administrative Hierarchy Very competent Somewhat competent Not very competent 14 3 Not at all competent 5 1 Not sure 1 0 Feelings of incompetence in the areas surveyed at the beginning of an alternate route program all but disappeared by the time of this survey. In that context, it is noteworthy that nearly one-third (31 percent) of survey respondents indicated they were still in an alternate route program at the time of completing the survey. While responses of completers compared to those of individuals still in an alternate route program do not vary significantly in their perception of competence in any area when they began the program, they rate their competencies much higher now. The areas beginners felt most competent in when they began their alternate route program are: dealing with other teachers, ability to teach subject matter and dealing with administrative hierarchy. The areas they felt not very competent or not at all competent in when they began an alternate route program were: classroom discipline (41 percent) classroom management (40 percent), and organizing instruction (31 percent). 38 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

47 TEACH DURING THE ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAM? Table 12. Did You Actually Teach As a Part of the ATC Program? Yes, full time as the teacher of record 90 Yes, a few hours per day 1 Yes, a few hours per week 1 Yes, a few hours per month * Yes, 6-10 weeks during a semester 1 Yes, one semester 1 No 5 Other 2 * less than.5 percent All % Nine out of ten (90 percent) people entering teaching through alternate routes report they teach full time as the teacher of record as part of their alternate route program. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 39

48 COLLEGE EDUCATION COURSES Table 13. Did You Take College Education Courses During Your ATC Program? ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Number of semester hours of education courses taken in Alternate Route Program % Yes 61 No Don t remember 18 Chart 19 Semester Hours in Education Courses Taken in the ATC Program Percent Don t remember Number of Hours 40 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

49 Four out of 10 (39 percent) respondents entering teaching through alternate routes report they did not take college education courses during their alternate route program in order to get their teaching certificate. For the 61 percent who report they did take education courses during their programs, the range of the number of credit hours taken varies widely from 34 percent who report they took 1 12 semester credit hours to 25 percent who report taking semester hours of education courses in order to get their teaching certificate. An additional 18 percent say they don t remember how many credit hours in education courses they took. When the survey responses of those who reported taking education courses are compared to those who say they did not take education courses in their alternate route program, some very interesting findings emerge: Individuals entering teaching from other careers are evenly split in whether or not they were in alternate route programs that required taking college education courses or not. Former teachers are less likely to have taken education courses during their alternate route program. Length of the program, being able to teach while getting certified, guidance from a mentor, the program fitting one s lifestyle and spending more time with one s family are the most important variables in choosing an alternate route for those who did not take education courses as part of their program. Forty-three percent of those who say they did not take college education courses indicate they did take off-campus courses in methodology/pedagogy; 71 percent indicate they took school-based courses/seminars in education, and 21 percent took online education courses. Sixty-eight percent of those who report they did not take college education courses during their alternate route program, compared to 58 percent of those who say they did, report they expected to be teaching K-12 five years from now. Eleven percent, compared to 20 percent of college education course takers, say they expected to be working in an occupation in education, other than teaching. Individuals who say they did not take college education courses report feeling competent to teach in every area questioned at a higher rate than those who took college education courses during their alternate route program. Interestingly enough, respondents who say they did not take college courses in education rank education methods courses very valuable in developing competence to teach more often than did those who took such courses. Similarly, respondents who say they did not take college courses in education report higher levels of satisfaction with job overall, relationship with the principal, with parents of students, with the curriculum, textbooks, general working conditions, status of teachers, and sense of freedom and classroom autonomy and plan to stay in teaching longer than do college education course-takers. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 41

50 Chart 20 LENGTH OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS Time to Get Certified Through Alternative Route 1 year 34 2 years 34 3 years 9 6 months to one year 9 Am still in the program working toward certification 8 Less than 6 months 3 Other 2 4 years 0.4 More than five years years Percent Approximately one-third (34 percent) of the respondents say it took them one year to get certified through their alternative teacher certification program and another 34 percent say it took two years. Twelve percent report they got certified through their alternative teacher certification program in less than a year, and 9 percent say it took them three years. 42 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

51 RATING COMPONENTS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS Table 14. How Helpful Was Each of the Following Components of Your ATC Program in Developing Competence to Teach? % Teaching Full-time as a Teacher of Record in a School During the Program Very helpful 80 Somewhat helpful 12 Not very helpful 1 Not at all helpful 1 Not a component of AR program 7 Working with a Mentor Teacher in the School Very helpful 41 Somewhat helpful 28 Not very helpful 14 Not at all helpful 8 Not a component of AR program 10 Working with Other School District Staff Very helpful 32 Somewhat helpful 34 Not very helpful 13 Not at all helpful 6 Not a component of AR program 15 Working with College Faculty on College Campus Very helpful 11 Somewhat helpful 22 Not very helpful 14 Not at all helpful 8 Not a component of AR program 46 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 43

52 Table 14. Rating Components of Alternate Route Programs (continued) Working with College Faculty in the School Where I was Teaching % Very helpful 8 Somewhat helpful 11 Not very helpful 11 Not at all helpful 8 Not a component of AR program 64 Taking College Campus-based Courses in Education Methodology/Pedagogy Very helpful 23 Somewhat helpful 25 Not very helpful 12 Not at all helpful 5 Not a component of AR program 35 Taking Off-campus Courses in Education Methodology/Pedagogy Very helpful 17 Somewhat helpful 16 Not very helpful 6 Not at all helpful 3 Not a component of AR program 58 A striking number of those surveyed report that the following components were not even a component of their alternate route program: Working with college faculty in the school where they were teaching 64 percent of respondents say this was not a component of their program. Taking college campus-based courses in education methodology/pedagogy 35 percent. Working with college faculty on college campus 46 percent. Working with a mentor teacher in the school 10 percent. 44 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

53 For those respondents for whom one or more of these components were part of their alternative teacher certification program, teaching full-time as a teacher of record during the program is rated far and away the most helpful experience in their developing competence to teach. A full 80 percent say it was very helpful and an additional 12 percent rate it somewhat helpful. Only 1 percent say it was not very helpful and less than 1 percent reports not at all helpful. A distant second for helpfulness in developing competence to teach is working with a mentor teacher in the school. Forty-one percent say that working with a mentor in the school was very helpful and 28 percent reported working with a mentor was somewhat helpful. Fourteen percent say it was not very helpful and 8 percent say working with a mentor was not at all helpful. Working with other school district staff got the third highest ranking by respondents for whom it was a component of their program. Thirty-two percent say working with other school district staff was very helpful, 34 percent somewhat helpful, 13 percent not very helpful and 6 percent not at all helpful. Taking on-campus courses in both education methodology/pedagogy and in subjectmatter fares better than taking such courses off campus or online. Twenty-three percent of respondents say taking on-campus courses in methodology/pedagogy was very helpful and 25 percent say somewhat helpful. Seventeen percent report that taking off-campus-based courses in methodology/pedagogy was very helpful and 16 percent say this was a somewhat helpful component of their alternate route program. Least helpful in developing competence to teach was working with college faculty either on campus or in the schools where candidates were teaching. Only one in 10 (11 percent) of teachers entering through alternate routes say working with college faculty on campus and 8 percent say working with college faculty in the schools where they were teaching was very helpful in their developing competence to teach. Eight percent also indicate that the college faculty was not at all helpful in the school where they were teaching and another 8 percent say not at all helpful on college campus. Generally, about percent of respondents indicate that taking courses in education on campus or on-site was not helpful. Thirteen percent of those who took courses online indicate that they were not helpful. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 45

54 HELPFULNESS OF SUPPORT PROVIDED Chart 21 Support Received Was 'Very Helpful' Mentor Teacher 44 School Principal 29 Non College Instructor 21 College/University Personnel Public/Private Personnel State Agency Personnel Percent For those candidates who received support from mentors (93 percent of the total sample) 47 percent report that the support provided was very helpful, 30 percent somewhat helpful, 14 percent not very helpful and 8 percent say it was not at all helpful. Support from school principals ranks high with 32 percent of respondents saying it was very helpful and 35 percent saying somewhat helpful. Twelve percent say support from principals was not at all helpful. Non-college instructors are viewed as very helpful by 33 percent and somewhat helpful by 45 percent and not at all helpful by 7 percent of those for whom such support was provided. Again, college/university personnel get lower marks than school-based personnel, but are perceived as very helpful by 23 percent and somewhat helpful by 42 percent. Fewer than one-fourth of respondents view them as not very helpful and 11 percent as not at all helpful. State agency personnel support is seen as helpful by 52 percent (19 percent very helpful and 33 percent somewhat helpful). Twenty-two percent of participants for whom state agency personnel provided support rate it as not at all helpful; an additional 26 percent say it was not very helpful. 46 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

55 Table 15. Helpfulness of Support Provided in Alternate Route Program When Support Was Provided ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS Mentors Very Helpful 48 Somewhat Helpful 30 Not Very Helpful 15 Not at All Helpful 8 School Principals Very Helpful 32 Somewhat Helpful 35 Not Very Helpful 21 Not at All Helpful 12 Non-college Instructors Very Helpful 33 Somewhat Helpful 45 Not Very Helpful 15 Not at All Helpful 7 College/University Personnel Very Helpful 23 Somewhat Helpful 43 Not Very Helpful 24 Not at All Helpful 11 State Agency Personnel Very Helpful 19 Somewhat Helpful 33 Not Very Helpful 26 Not at All Helpful 22 % NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 47

56 Table 16. Frequency of Support Provided Never All day, every day A few hours every day Several hours per week Once per week Twice per month Once per month Once every 2 months A few times per year Once per year % % % % % % % % % % Mentor teacher School principal Non-college instructors College/university personnel State agency 74 1 * personnel Public/private 75 1 * agency personnel * less than 0.5 percent These data indicate that the most frequent support and the most helpful to candidates in alternate routes was provided by school-based personnel: mentor teachers, school principals and non-college instructors. 48 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

57 WHAT IS RATED AS MOST VALUABLE IN DEVELOPING COMPETENCE TO TEACH Of 10 variables, one s own teaching experiences, life experiences in general and other teachers/colleagues are perceived as most valuable in developing competence to teach. Eighty-two percent of teachers entering the profession through alternate routes rate one s own teaching experiences as very valuable in developing competence to teach, followed by life experiences in general (71 percent very valuable) and other teachers/colleagues (67 percent very valuable). Courses in subjects being taught are seen as very valuable by 58 percent of respondents. Studying on one s own is rated very valuable by 45 percent, and experiences in non-school occupations is rated very valuable by 42 percent of respondents. In seventh place of variables valuable in developing competence to teach are education methods courses (41 percent very valuable), followed by professional development activities (40 percent very valuable). College faculty are seen as least valuable in developing competence to teach. Faculty in one s subject area are perceived as very valuable by 32 percent and somewhat valuable by 36 percent. College of education faculty are perceived as very valuable by only 15 percent of those surveyed who are entering teaching through an alternate route to certification. Thirty-seven percent rated college of education faculty somewhat valuable, 23 percent not very valuable, seven percent not at all, and 18 percent checked not applicable. An analysis of responses excluding those who checked not applicable shows the following: Eighteen percent rated college of education faculty very valuable, 46 percent somewhat valuable, 28 percent not very valuable and 8 percent not at all valuable in their developing competence to teach. Of those respondents who report that they took education courses during their alternative teacher certification program, (61 percent of the total sample), 40 percent report they think education methods courses were very valuable in developing competence to teach and only 4 percent feel they were not at all valuable. However, regarding the college of education faculty, 17 percent report they think the COE faculty was very valuable and 8 percent say not at all valuable. By main activity immediately before entering an alternate route program, the groups that rated education methods courses highest were those who are working in a teacher related occupation before entering the alternate route program (46 percent very valuable and only 12 percent not very or not at all valuable), followed by individuals who had been in a professional occupation outside of education with 40 percent perceiving education methods courses as very valuable in developing competence to teach and 15 percent not very valuable and 5 percent not at all valuable. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 49

58 Respondents who indicate their main activity before entering an alternate route program was as a student rate education courses considerably lower (31 percent very valuable, 14 percent not very and 6 percent not at all valuable). There is not much difference among these groups in their responses to college of education faculty value. Students and individuals from a professional occupation outside the field of education rate college of education slightly lower than do former teachers and individuals previously in a non-education job. 50 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

59 MEASUREMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS TO TEACH Teachers entering the profession through alternate routes were asked what they thought about various measurements in determining whether or not a teacher is qualified to teach. Slightly more than one-third of survey respondents strongly agreed that each of the following is a good measurement to use in determining whether or not a teacher is qualified to teach: Variable % Strongly agree Experience length of time as a K-12 teacher 37 Evaluation by peers that includes direct classroom observation 37 Evaluation by administrator that includes direct classroom observation 35 Passing a test of subject matter proficiency 34 Fewer than one in three people entering teaching through alternate routes strongly agree that the following measurements are good ones to use in determining whether or not a teacher is qualified to teach: Variable % Strongly agree Successful completion of program of preparation over time 29 Passing a test of proficiency in teaching skills 27 Being fully certified by the state to teach 27 Teacher portfolio of exemplary practices 23 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification 16 Video of teacher s classroom performance 16 Academic progress of students as measured by standardized test scores 10 One in five (19 percent) respondents strongly disagree and 30 percent somewhat disagree that academic progress of students as measured by standardized test scores is a good measurement to use in determining whether or not a teacher is qualified to teach. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 51

60 MOBILITY AND WILLINGNESS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS TO MOVE WHERE JOB DEMAND IS GREATEST Table 17. What Type of Community Would You be Willing to Teach in? Currently Teach in Willing to Teach in % % Rural area (less than 10,000) 8 43 Small town (10,000 19,000) 6 52 Small city (20,000-49,999) Medium city (50, ,999) Large city (250,000+) Suburban or outside central city Table 18. How Likely Would You be to Move From Where You Live to Where the Demand for Teachers is Greatest? AR Teachers ALL teachers* To a Rural Area Within the State % % Very likely 9 10 Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Not sure 7 4 To a Large Metropolitan City Within the State Very likely 12 6 Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Not sure 7 4 To a Rural Area Out of State Very likely 6 4 Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Not sure 8 5 To a Large Metropolitan City Out of State Very likely 10 3 Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Not sure 8 4 *Preliminary data from National Center for Education Information survey of public school teachers 52 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

61 Individuals entering teaching through alternate routes are slightly more inclined to move within state to teach where the demand for jobs is greatest than they are to move out of state. Thirty-one percent say that it is very likely or somewhat likely that they would move to a rural area within the state if demand for teachers were great; 36 percent say it is very likely or somewhat likely that they would move to a large metropolitan area within the state. Thirty-one percent indicate they would be very or somewhat likely to move to a metropolitan area out of state and 22 percent say they would be very or somewhat likely to move to a rural area out of state if the demand for teachers warranted such a move. Table 19. How Many Career Changes Have You Made in Your Life so Far? % None 9 One 33 Two 27 Three 20 Four 6 Five 2 Six 1 More than six 1 Nearly 6 out of 10 (57 percent) of those entering teaching through alternate routes report having made two or more career changes in their lives so far. Only 9 percent are coming into teaching having never had a previous career. Of those entering teaching from other professions, 36 percent had one career change. Nearly two out of three people (63 percent) entering teaching from another career have made two or more career changes so far in their lives. One-third of them made three or more career changes in their lives before teaching. Table 20. Did You Complete Your Undergraduate College Education Within 150 Miles of the Place Where You Were Born? AR Teachers All Teachers* % % Yes No * Preliminary data from National Center for Education Information survey of public school teachers. Four out of 10 (41 percent) individuals entering teaching through alternate routes completed their undergraduate college education within 150 miles of where they were born, compared to 60 percent of all teachers, according to a survey underway by the National Center for Education Information. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 53

62 Table 21. Are You Now Teaching Within 150 Miles of the Place Where You Were Born? AR Teachers All Teachers* % % Yes No * Preliminary data from National Center for Education Information survey of public school teachers. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of alternate route teachers are not teaching within 150 miles of where they were born. This compares with 64 percent of all public school teachers who are teaching within 150 miles of where they were born. 54 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

63 RECOMMEND ALTERNATE ROUTES? Chart 22 Would You Recommend an Alternate Route? Yes 82% No 3% Maybe 15% Eighty-two percent of those entering teaching through alternate routes say they would recommend an alternate route to teacher certification to others interested in becoming teachers. An additional 15 percent say maybe. Only 3 percent would not recommend an alternate route to others. These responses are the same across most sub groups, regardless of whether they came to teaching from another career, from some previous teaching experience or other educationrelated job, or from being a student. Troops to Teachers individuals tended to be the most decisive in responding. Eighty-eight percent of them say they would recommend an alternative route to teacher certification to others. Two percent of Troops to Teachers respondents indicated they would not and 8 percent say maybe. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 55

64 Table 22. Would You Recommend an Alternative Route to Teacher Certification to Others Interested in Becoming Teachers? ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS YES NO MAYBE % % % All By Prior Main Activity Before AR Professionals Other non-education job Students Teacher-related job By Age By Type Community Teach in Rural area Small town Small city Medium city Large city Suburban or outside central city By Credit Hours in Ed. Required Less than six semester hours semester hours semester hours or more semester hours Don t remember PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

65 APPENDIX A METHODOLOGY The PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS survey was conducted by the National Center for Education Information Nov. 12, 2004 Mar. 12, In that time, 2,647 questionnaires were completed. NCEI undertook the task of getting answers to questions about who is going into teaching through alternate routes and why by conducting a national survey of individuals entering teaching through alternate routes to teacher certification. In an effort to have the survey reflect a national sample, we identified populations that reflect the diversity and complexity of alternate route programs at large. We chose to sample individuals entering teaching through alternate routes in Texas, Florida, the Troops to Teachers program, the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center program and the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Texas began implementation of its first alternate route program in the Houston Independent School District in Texas is now implementing 67 programs throughout the state, including 21 in community colleges and 8 conducted by private entities. These alternate route programs produced 7,117 teachers in One-third of all new hires in Texas come into teaching through the state s alternate routes. A random selection of 3,000 individuals was drawn from the 33,054 who were certified through alternate route programs in Texas from 1999 to Florida has been implementing alternate routes to teacher certification on a limited scale since In , there were just five school districts participating. This level of participation was typical in most states in the United States during that time. In 2004, Florida state law required every school district in the state to implement an alternate route program. By the fall of 2004, 2,272 individuals had participated in an alternate route program in Florida. All were contacted by NCEI, through its contractor, the Florida Center for Interactive Media at Florida State University (FSU) and Sande Milton and Pamela Flood, educational researchers at FSU and Karen Wilde, formerly with the Florida State Department of Education, to complete the survey online. The demand for teachers has been greatest in large cities. So has the development of alternate routes. NCEI asked the New York City Teaching Fellows program director, Vicki Bernstein, to draw a sample of 2,000 individuals who had completed the alternate route program. The state of New York authorized this program in The Troops to Teachers program has been in existence since 1994 and has brought over 9,000 former military personnel from all over the country into K-12 teaching. NCEI asked the Troops to Teachers director, John Gantz, to provide a list of all the individuals who had gone through the Troops to Teachers program and entered teaching through an alternate route to certification since Seven hundred eighty-five individuals were so identified. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 57

66 A 45-item paper survey was mailed to 3,000 individuals from Texas (Nov , 2004), 785 Troops to Teachers individuals, 2,000 individuals who had completed the New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) program and 300 individuals who participated in the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center program (Nov , 2004); s were sent to 2,272 individuals who had completed or were still in the Florida programs throughout the state Nov. 22, 2004 asking them to complete the survey online. A second mailing was sent to all Texas and Troops to Teachers non-respondents Dec. 8-9 and s were sent to NYCTF and Florida non-respondents Dec. 8, asking them to fill out the survey and return to NCEI OR to go online to complete the questionnaire. By March 12, 2005, 2,647 surveys were completed. Sample Size and Response Rate Sample size Unusable Adjusted sample size Usable Response rate questionnaires questionnaires returned returned Texas 3, , % Florida 2, , % MTEC % NYCTF 2, , % TTT % Total 8, ,567 2, % NCEI compared the responses from the first 1,582 questionnaires completed to the responses when all 2,647 questionnaires were completed. On no item was there ever more than a one percentage difference. We also compared response data from the survey with data kept by the states regarding basic demographics and found no significant differences. Comparisons between NCEI survey responses and data maintained by each of the sample sources (Texas, Florida, New York City Teaching Fellows and Troops to Teachers) show that the NCEI sample is, indeed, reflective of each of these respective populations. This report, PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS, is the result of an analysis of the 2,647 usable questionnaire survey responses received. Reliability of Survey Percentages Any sample survey is subject to sample variation. The degree of variation is determined by the level of percentages expressed in the results and by the number of interviews completed relating to a response. 58 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

67 The following table reflects the amount of possible sample variation that can be applied to percentage results of this study. Simply stated, the table indicates that chances are 95 out of a 100 that a result from the study will not vary, plus or minus, by more than the indicated number of percentage points, from the results that would have been achieved if questionnaires had been completed by all people in the universe that is represented in the sample. If the response rate for a sample size of 500, for example, was 80 percent, then 95 times out of 100 the responses from the entire population would be between 76 percent and 84 percent. It is important to note that survey results based on small-sized subgroups are subject to large sampling error. When comparing results from different parts of a sample, sample tolerances are also used to determine if the difference between two subgroups can be considered statistically significant. For example, if 43 percent of one group of 800 responded no to a particular question and 37 percent of an independent groups of 500 responded no to the same question, then the observed difference (6 percentage points) is significant since it is greater than the potential sampling error (5 percentage points) reflected in the table. These errors account for sampling error only. Survey research is susceptible to non-sampling errors as well, such as respondent recording and data processing. However, the procedures followed by NCEI in this study should minimize these kinds of errors. APPROXIMATE SAMPLE TOLERANCES (AT 95% CONFIDENCE) TO USE IN EVALUATING PERCENTAGE RESULTS APPEARING IN THIS REPORT APPROXIMATE SAMPLE SIZE OF TWO GROUPS ASKED QUESTION ON WHICH SURVEY RESULT IS BASED SURVEY PERCENTAGE RESULTS AT: 10% OR 90% 20% OR 80% 30% OR 70% 40% OR 60% 50% 2, , , NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 59

68 APPROXIMATE SAMPLING TOLERANCES (AT 95% CONFIDENCE) TO USE IN EVALUATING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO PERCENTAGE RESULTS APPEARING IN THIS REPORT APPROXIMATE SAMPLE SIZE OF TWO GROUPS ASKED QUESTION ON WHICH SURVEY RESULT IS BASED SURVEY PERCENTAGE RESULTS AT: 10% OR 90% 20% OR 80% 30% OR 70% 40% OR 60% 50% 2,000 vs. 2, , ,000 vs. 1, vs vs vs vs PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

69 APPENDIX B CLASSIFICATION OF ALTERNATE ROUTES TO TEACHER CERTIFICATION The National Center for Education information, for the sake of consistency in reporting and analyzing what is going on in the field of alternative teacher certification, developed the following classification system in 1990 for categorizing the "alternate routes" to the approved college teacher education program route for certifying teachers submitted by the states. CLASS A is the category reserved for those routes that meet the following criteria: The alternative teacher certification route has been designed for the explicit purpose of attracting talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor degree in a field other than education into elementary and secondary school teaching. The alternate route is not restricted to shortages, secondary grade levels or subject areas. These alternative teacher certification routes involve teaching with a trained mentor, and any formal instruction that deals with the theory and practice of teaching during the school year -- and sometimes in the summer before and/or after. CLASS B: Teacher certification routes that have been designed specifically to bring talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor degree into teaching. These routes involve specially designed mentoring and some formal instruction. However, these routes either restrict the route to shortages and/or secondary grade levels and/or subject areas. CLASS C: These routes entail review of academic and professional background, and transcript analysis of the candidate. They involve specially (individually) designed in-service and course-taking necessary to reach competencies required for certification, if applicable. The state and/or local school district have major responsibility for program design. CLASS D: These routes entail review of academic and professional background, and transcript analysis. They involve specially (individually) designed inservice and course-taking necessary to reach competencies required for certification, if applicable. An institution of higher education has major responsibility for program design. CLASS E: These post-baccalaureate programs are based at an institution of higher education. The following classes are for exceptions and rarely used CLASS F: These programs are basically emergency routes. The prospective teacher is issued some type of emergency certificate or waiver which allows the individual to teach, usually without any onsite support or supervision, while taking the traditional teacher education courses requisite for full certification. CLASS G: Programs in this class are for persons who have few requirements left to fulfill before becoming certified through the traditional approved college teacher education program route, e. g., persons certified in one state moving to another; or persons certified in one endorsement area seeking to become certified in another. CLASS H: This class includes those routes that enable a person who has some "special" qualifications, such as a well-known author or Nobel Prize winner, to teach certain subjects. CLASS I: These states reported that they were not implementing alternatives to the approved college teacher education program route for licensing teachers. CLASS J: These programs are designed to eliminate emergency routes. They prepare individuals who do not meet basic requirements to become qualified to enter an alternate route or a traditional route for teacher licensing. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 61

70 APPENDIX C ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS In order to better understand the results of this survey of individuals who are entering teaching through alternate routes to teacher certification, it is important to understand what alternate route programs look like. In addition to the definitional problems alluded to in the INTRODUCTION, alternate route programs vary tremendously -- in who administers them, requirements, program components, length, cost and a host of other ways. As a result, it has been very difficult to get a handle on what is and what is not an alternate route, much less to conduct sound research on alternate routes to teacher certification. In 1990, NCEI developed a classification system that was designed to provide at least a categorization of the myriad routes to certification the states were calling alternative routes. It is based primarily on who controls the alternative route and how inclusive it is in providing access. That classification system, Class A through K, can be found in Appendix B. As more and more states created and refined alternate routes to certification, by 2000, common characteristics of these routes began to emerge, such as: Most routes are specifically designed to recruit, prepare and license talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor degree -- and often other careers in fields other than education. Candidates pass a rigorous screening process, such as passing tests, interviews, and demonstrated mastery of content. The programs are field-based. The programs include coursework or equivalent experiences in professional education studies before and while teaching. Candidates for teaching work with mentor teachers and/or other support personnel. Candidates must meet high performance standards for completion of the programs. In February 2004, during the first annual conference of the National Center for Alternative Certification (NCAC), which was created by NCEI with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2003, participants called for us to develop a template that could be used by providers of alternate route programs to describe their programs, as well as record basic data and information about their programs and would be uniform across the country. That template was designed with input from numerous state officials, providers of alternate route programs and researchers. It was made available for use online in June 2004 at NCAC s web site, The 464 providers of alternate route programs for whom NCAC had contact information were informed through several s that the 62 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

71 template was available for their use in describing their programs, recording basic data and information about their programs and that it could be accessed online through a user ID and password which they could obtain from NCAC. From information provided to NCAC by the states, 538 individual sites where alternate route programs are being implemented across the nation have been identified. Of these, 464 have contact information and 261 providers of alternate route programs have completed the data template. All of the information for each program can be found, by state, at NCAC maintains a running analysis of the data as it is entered by providers of alternate route programs. It is noteworthy that, from when only 150 providers had completed the data template to now, when 261 have, there has be no significant change in the profile of alternate route programs. Data submitted to NCAC from the states that issue teaching certificates and from providers that are implementing alternate route programs within the state indicate that approximately 35,000 individuals who were entering teaching through alternate route programs were issued certificates to teach in State and program provider information about the gender, race, age and backgrounds of alternate route teachers match the data we collected in this survey directly from teachers entering the profession through alternate routes. Data from providers of alternate route programs report that about half of those who apply for their programs get accepted and enter a program. About two-thirds of those who enter an alternate route program actually complete it and obtain a certificate to teach. Nearly all of those who complete a program and receive a teaching certificate are teaching the following year usually in the same school where they taught while in the alternate route program. Most alternate route programs are created specifically to meet the demand for teachers in the areas where they are established. Seventy-one percent of providers of alternate route programs say their alternative programs serve students in a high-needs area (e.g. low socioeconomic area, high poverty level, high minority) school. An additional 27 percent say that they serve some students in high needs areas. Only 2 percent say their programs do not serve students in high needs areas. An analysis of the data and information provided by the providers of alternate route programs that have completed the template shows the following: NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 63

72 Figure 1 Who has primary administrative responsibility alternate route programs Entities With Primary Administrative Responsibility for ATC Programs 12% 5% 0% 6% 4% 50% College/University Community College School district Regional Service Center School State Department Consortium 21% Other 2% It appears that half (50 percent) of alternate route programs are administered primarily by colleges and universities and 2 percent by community colleges. About a fifth of alternate route programs (21 percent) are administered at the school district level, 6 percent by a regional service center, none at the school building level, 5 percent by the state department of education, and 4 percent through a consortium. The 12 percent who checked other gave responses indicating mostly collaborations among any one or more of the above entities and a few private entities. 64 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

73 Figure 2 Length of alternate route programs Length of ATC Programs 12% 4% 32% Less than one year One year Two years Three years 52% About half (52 percent) of alternate route programs take two years to complete and about one-third (32 percent) can be completed in one year. Four percent of providers report their programs can be completed in less than one year. Figure 3 Participants function as a cohort during the alternate route program Participants in ATC programs function as a Cohort 17% Yes No 83% About eight out of ten program providers report that the participants in their programs function as a cohort while in the program, e.g., they meet together regularly, take courses/seminars together, learn from each other. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 65

74 Figure 4 Entry requirements for alternate route programs Specific Entry Requirements for ATC Programs Percentage ATC Program Providers BA Degree Minimmum GPA Basic Skills Test Interview Background Check Subject Test Other Semester Hours US Citienship Test of Spoken English Academic Major GRE Pedagogy Test ACT SAT Entry Requirement Nearly all (98 percent) alternate route programs require at least a bachelor degree in order to enter the program. A few community colleges have begun to establish alternate route programs that do not require a bachelor degree at entry. Two-thirds require an interview; 62 percent requiring passing a basic skills test, and 56 percent a subject area test for entry. Nearly half (48 percent) of the program providers who completed the template checked other under entry requirements. Their specific responses included mostly exact grade point averages required, ranging from 2.5 to 3.0; exact number of credit hours in subject(s) to be taught, ranging from 18 to 36 semester hours; various test requirements; references, background checks and, sometimes, prior work experience. 66 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

75 Figure 5 Program requirements for alternate route programs Program Requirements for ATC Programs Percentages ATC Porgram Providers Summer orientation Mentoring College courses on campus College courses at teaching site College courses online District courses Seminars Peer Review Other Program Requirements More than half of the alternate route program providers say their programs include a summer orientation; 83 percent have a mentoring component, 58 percent say they require college courses that are taken on the college campus; 11 percent say their programs include college courses at the teaching site and 18 percent have online college courses. Nearly onefifth (19 percent) report courses offered by the school district are part of their program. Seminars are included in about half (51 percent) of the alternate route programs. About onefifth (21 percent) include peer review as part of their alternate route program. Of the 43 percent of providers who identified other components of their programs, nearly all would fit into the above-mentioned categories. Several specifically mentioned testing and assessment of candidates throughout the program. Figure 6 Teach during alternate route program Both program providers and alternate route teachers report that approximately nine out of 10 participants in alternate route programs teach with salary and benefits during their alternate route programs. Participants in this ATC Program Become "Teachers of Record" During the Time they are in the ATC Program Percentages ATC Program Providers ATC Teachers Yes No YES or NO NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 67

76 Figure 7 College tuition-based courses required Paticipants in ATC programs are required to complete semester hours for which they pay tuition at a college or university: Percentage ATC Program Providers hours 1-9 hours hours hours hours 31 or more hours Hours About four out of ten alternate route programs do not require participants to take any college semester hours for which they pay tuition at a college or university. At the other end of the spectrum, about four in ten (41 percent) require participants to take 22 or more semester hours for which they pay college tuition. Figure 8 Evaluation of alternate route candidates Participants are evaluated during ATC programs by: Percentages ATC Program Providers Mentor teacher School principal College/University personnel State agency personnel Other Evaluators 68 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

77 Support provided to alternate route candidates Ninety-six percent of alternate route program providers report that candidates receive support from mentor teachers; 78 percent say they receive support from school principals, 70 percent from college personnel, 12 percent from state agency personnel and 47 percent from other. As you can see from responses from teachers entering teaching through alternate route programs from the survey, these responses are quite different from responses of providers. The two charts below show the comparison between responses from providers (in blue) and those of participants (red) on the frequency of support provided by mentors and by college/university personnel during their programs. Figures 9 and 10 Frequency of support provided by mentors and by college personnel Frequency of the Support Provided by Mentor During ATC Programs Percentages Every day, all day A few hours every day Two-three hours, several days per week Once per week Once every other week Once per month Once every two months Once 3-6 months Once every year Never Not applicable Other ATC Program Providers ATC Teachers Frequencey of Support The Frequency of the support provided by college/university personnel to participants during the ATC program Percentage ATC Program Providers ATC Teachers Every day, A few Tw o-three Once per all day hours hours, week every day several days per w eek Once every other week Once per Once Once month every tw o every 3-6 months months Once every year Never Other Frequency of Support NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 69

78 Figure 11 Assessments of candidates Assessments used in ATC programs to evaluate a participant for certification Percentage ATC Program Providers Written tests Essays Portfolios of best w orks Portfolios of grow th over time Videos Direct observation of classroom teaching Other Assessments The most commonly used assessment to evaluate a candidate for certification is direct classroom observation, reported by 93 percent of alternate route program providers, followed by portfolios, written tests, essays and videos. Most programs use several of these assessments in their programs to evaluate candidates. Figure 12 Criteria for certification Criteria used to determine whether or not a participant is granted a certificate to teach upon successful completion of the ATC program Percentage ATC Program Providers Successful completion of program requirements Passing a test(s) Recommendations by local school district personnel Portfolio assessments Increases in student achievement Other Criteria Ninety-eight percent of alternate route programs use completion of the program to recommend candidates for certification. Eight out of ten (81 percent) require passing specific tests, 54 percent require recommendations by local school district personnel, 63 percent use portfolio assessments and 5 percent use increases in student achievement. The 28 percent other listed mostly specific tests that are required and recommendations. 70 PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION

79 Figure 13 Type of certificate issued upon completion of an alternate route program Type of Certificate issued by the State to Participants who successfully complete ATC programs Percentage ATC Program Providers ATC Teachers Full, regular State certificate Temporary certificate Other Type of Certificate Eighty percent of providers of alternate route programs say completers of their programs receive a full regular teaching certificate. It is noteworthy that when candidates in these programs are asked what type of certificate they receive upon completion of their programs, 48 percent say they receive a full regular certificate. Author s note: I have maintained for a long time, based on our own surveys of teachers and those of teachers by other organizations, that teachers coming through any route don t know, by name, what route they go through or what type of certificate they receive. That is a major reason it is almost impossible to rely on teacher self-reported data concerning what type of route a person goes through or what type of certificate they receive. The only reliable sources for who enters teaching through an alternate route and what types of certificates teachers receive is the granting agency the state that creates the routes to teaching and grants the certificates to teach and the providers of the programs. The sources for the sample participants in this survey of teachers entering through alternate routes to teacher certification were the state certifying agencies and alternate route programs. Emily Feistritzer NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION INFORMATION PROFILE OF ALTERNATE ROUTE TEACHERS 71