“Everything” You Wanted To Know About The Teaching Profession, But Were Afraid To Ask….
Author: Larry Ferlazzo
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Matthew A. Kraft is one of the most talented and respected education researchers out there, and he sent out an impressive “tweetstorm” yesterday filled with important info on the teaching profession.
He has given me permission to share it here.
I’m adding this post to The Best Resources To Learn About World Teachers Day.
FACT #1) K-12 teachers constitute the second largest occupation in the U.S.
# of K-12 teachers ~ 3.8 million
# of lawyers & doctors combined ~ 2.4 millionThe sheer size of the teacher labor market has major implications for teacher quality. 2/ https://t.co/nYeP4wV8ZW pic.twitter.com/LVr6yMUxIn
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #3) Teacher shortages are real, but not ubiquitous
Teacher supply varies considerably by subject area, location, & school chars. Lots of healthy debate, but just talk to urban HS principals about recruiting STEM teachers. 4/ @Thomas_S_Dee @NCTQ https://t.co/lZ9qiWxKNa
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #6) Paper credentials do very little to predict future teacher effectiveness
However, recent multi-measure screening approaches have shown some promise. 7/ @eric_s_taylor @BrianJacobProf https://t.co/BEXI2MADOlhttps://t.co/a2hWQNtDVx
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #8) Individual teachers have equally large effects on students’ behavior & social-emotional development
9/ @KiraboJackson @david_blazar https://t.co/0jqlPbDwzxhttps://t.co/BTFfFv46Jhhttps://t.co/jPEtWynpX1https://t.co/MdpYNLODzn pic.twitter.com/KOQlS6X3Sv
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #10) Disadvantaged students are less likely to be taught by a qualified & effective teacher than their more-advantaged peers
This is true both across & within schools. /11 @SusannaLoeb @BeteilleTara @CEDR_US https://t.co/SoimCBQeCJhttps://t.co/NzDDHijfZT pic.twitter.com/rEbawjRndc
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #12) Teachers improve as they gain experience on-the-job.
These improvements are steepest early in the career and vary considerably
across individual teachers. 13/ @sunnyladd https://t.co/48Y0SbGDK9https://t.co/5kctFP3DQThttps://t.co/OEyFt4GxKX pic.twitter.com/Z8HXIKKGB6— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #14) Teacher churning (switching grades & subjects) is a real problem
Teachers are less effective when frequent reassignments prevent them from gaining subject & grade-specific skills w/ experience. /15 @AcmAtteberryhttps://t.co/dAjl8XnPRyhttps://t.co/YrXfiwa9WW
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #16) Teacher pay (in real dollars) has been in decline for decades
/ 17. @TIME @DrMikeHansen @BrookingsEd @EconomicPolicy @Sly21 @LarryMishel @SchlFinance101 https://t.co/Rgkzj7jcNfhttps://t.co/DLf2OpkC6qhttps://t.co/u12ZsvKJB6https://t.co/rwABepkQf0 pic.twitter.com/NAB7UVquz9
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
Fact #18) Teacher turnover remains alarmingly high in urban school districts & most teacher turnover is disruptive to students & schools
Again, healthy debate here & effectiveness matters. /19 @abacherhicks @linzcpage @jhwyckoffhttps://t.co/zdYoIcDIjFhttps://t.co/gMagv5uXuy pic.twitter.com/xKmQxbtrfz
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019
I’d like to end by emphasizing how incredibly complex & important teachers’ jobs are, & how grateful I am to all those who invest their fullest energy day in & day out in service to their students.
Thank you. #TeacherAppreciationDay [End]
— Matthew A. Kraft (@MatthewAKraft) May 7, 2019