The Status of the Teaching Profession, 2005

Abstract

To its considerable credit, California has set rigorous standards for all of its students in the past decade and provided considerable focus on where schools are falling short. Now, there are plentiful data about which schools and students are not succeeding. But the standards come with high stakes for students and schools-- consequences that have been heightened by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Today's high school seniors are the first class that must pass the state's high school exit exam to receive a diploma, but far too many of the class of 2006 have faced math and English teachers who do not have the preparation to teach these subjects, which are the two covered by the exam. This report, offers a summary of the latest research and a brief set of charts and graphs that illuminate California's teaching force. A more detailed research report is available on the Web site (www.cftl.org) and includes a mixture of hard data and qualitative research based on extensive case studies from 10 districts across the state. The full report provides detailed recommendations for addressing these issues and strengthening the teacher workforce.