Full Citation

Title: The Percentage of Highly Qualified Math/Science Teachers and Variables that Affect the Likelihood of Being Highly Qaulified, by State, Before and After NCLB

Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis

Publication Year: 2010

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Abstract: A major concern of educators today is to ensure that our nations elementary andsecondary schools are staffed with qualified teachers. The quality of teachers and teachingundoubtedly becomes one of the most important factors in shaping the learning and growth ofstudents. The assignment of teachers to teach out-of-field is believed by some to be a contributorto low quality teaching. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 established anationwide goal of reducing and eliminating gaps between groups of students, and recognizedthe key to improving student learning and closing achievement gaps depends upon access tohighly qualified teachers for all students.The purpose of this study was to see how state teacher certification requirements changedafter No Child Left Behind Act and whether NCLB affected the percentage of highly qualifiedteachers in each state. The practical purpose of this study was to ascertain whether NCLB andmiddle school licensure requirement reform have had an effect on the number of highly qualifiedand non-highly qualified middle-school teachers in hard to staff areas like math and science.Using Schools and Staffing Survey data from school years 1999-2000 and 2003-2004,this study found that on the average there was a slight increase in percent middle-school scienceteachers with science majors from 1999-2000 to 2003-2004 but a decrease in percent of fullycertified math and science teachers and a decrease in middle-school math teachers with mathmajors. Certain states, Nebraska, Alabama, District of Columbia, New York and New Jerseywere consistently high in percent majors while certain other states, Kentucky, Georgia,Tennessee, Arizona and North Carolina were consistently low with Kentucky low in bothcategories (percent fully certified middle-school math teachers with math majors, percent fullycertified middle-school science teachers with science majors) during both school years. Someiiistates increased in both percent fully certified and majors in both math and science: Minnesota,North Dakota, and New Hampshire. Vermont, DC, Michigan and Ohio decreased in both ofthese categories. To show statistical significance, a logistic regression and odds ratio was doneto compare states likelihood of having matched teachers (which means fully certified with amajor in the field taught) to Kansass teachers likelihood of being matched. This revealed thatteachers who taught in DC were 615% more likely to be matched than those who taught inKansas during 1999-2000. Only teachers who taught in Minnesota have greater odds of beingmatched than Kansas teachers during both 1999-2000 and 2003-2004. A regression analysisshowed that certain teacher factors affected the likelihood of a teacher being matched. Thesevariables were middle-school teacher who teaches in high school vs. middle-school teacher whoteaches in middle school or elementary school, fully certified vs. not fully certified, and, male vs.female. The individual state certification requirements were compiled from before and afterNCLB and compared to see if licensure changes affected how states fared in percent majors andfully certified.After NCLB, several states added middle level endorsements in math and science thatincreased teachers opportunities to become highly qualified. Some states increased thestringency to become highly qualified by adding content preparation requirements and/orspecific subjects required. These changes were considered positive changes in certificationrequirements after NCLB. A negative change after NCLB was the decrease in contentpreparation requirements, or changing from requiring specific subjects to not requiring thesesubjects. The results of this study did not show any particular trend in terms of which statestended to increase or decrease in the percent of full certification and major of middle-schoolmath and science teachers from both years of SASS data. It showed that there were particularivstates that had increased or decreased in their percent of full certification and major but nocorrelation emerged.

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Authors: Kolarik, Anne C.

Institution: Graduate School of the University of Kansas

Department: Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

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Degree: Doctor of Education

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Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Other

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