Credentials of teachers in low- and high-poverty schools: Share of teachers with and without various credentials by school type
| Total | Low-poverty | High-poverty | Gap (high- minus low-poverty school) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certification | ||||
| Fully certified | 91.2% | 92.9% | 90.1% | -2.8 ppt. |
| Not fully certified | 8.8% | 7.1% | 9.9% | 2.8 ppt. |
| Took traditional route into teaching | 82.9% | 86.7% | 81.1% | -5.6 ppt. |
| Took alternative route into teaching | 17.1% | 13.3% | 18.9% | 5.6 ppt. |
| Experience | ||||
| Experienced (over 5 years) | 77.6% | 80.2% | 75.4% | -4.8 ppt. |
| Mid-career (6–20 years) | 54.3% | 56.1% | 53.3% | -2.8 ppt. |
| Senior (over 21 years) | 23.3% | 24.1% | 22.1% | -2.0 ppt. |
| Inexperienced (5 years or less) | 22.4% | 19.8% | 24.6% | 4.8 ppt. |
| Novice (1–2 years) | 9.4% | 8.0% | 10.4% | 2.4 ppt. |
| Early career (3–5 years) | 13.0% | 11.8% | 14.2% | 2.4 ppt. |
| Education | ||||
| Educational background in subject of main assignment | 68.5% | 72.5% | 66.2% | -6.3 ppt. |
| Without an educational background in subject of main assignment | 31.5% | 27.5% | 33.8% | 6.3 ppt. |
Notes: Data are for teachers in public noncharter schools. According to research and to the U.S. Department of Education, highly qualified teachers have the following four credentials: They are fully certified (with a regular, standard state certificate or advanced professional certificate versus not having completed all the steps); they took a traditional route into teaching (participated in a traditional certification program versus an alternative certification program, the latter of which is defined in the teacher survey questionnaire as “a program that was designed to expedite the transition of nonteachers to a teaching career, for example, a state, district, or university alternative certification program”); they are experienced (have more than 5 years of experience); and they have a background in the subject of main assignment, i.e., they have a bachelor's or master's degree in the main teaching assignment field (general education, special education, or subject-matter specific degree) versus having no educational background in the subject of main assignment. A teacher is in a low-poverty school if less than 25 percent of the student body in his/her class is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs; a teacher is in a high-poverty school if 50 percent or more of the student body she/he teaches are eligible for those programs.
Source: 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) microdata from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)