The number of secondary school teachers is projected to increase at a greater rate than the number of elementary school teachers. Assuming a relatively stable pupil/teacher ratio between 1999 and 2009, the number of elementary teachers is expected to hold steady at about 1.9 million. The number of secondary teachers is projected to increase 6 percent, rising from 1.2 million to 1.3 million teachers.

Filling teaching positions with qualified teachers, particularly in specific subjects, is an important issue for many schools. Most public school teachers (92 percent of departmentalized and 93 percent of general elementary teachers) were fully certified in their main teaching assignment in 1998. However, emergency and temporary certification was higher among teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience. About 12 percent of general elementary teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience had emergency or temporary certification. The results were similar for departmentalized teachers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998; Projections of Education Statistics to 2009; and Teacher Quality: A Report on the Preparation and Qualifications of Public School Teachers.

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[ Table 10. -- Total enrollment in public and private 2-year and 4-year colleges, by sex, attendance status, and control of institution: Fall 1979 to fall 2009 ] [ Figure 12. -- Estimated age distribution of full-time equivalent public school teachers: 1998-99 ]