Changes in the Demographics, Qualifications, and Turnover of American STEM Teachers, 1988-2012

Oct 15, 2026

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Examining nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey data across seven waves, the study tracks how American public school STEM teachers’ demographics, qualifications, and turnover evolved from 1988 to 2012. Descriptive and regression analyses show increased likelihood of STEM teachers being female, attending selective colleges, holding graduate degrees, and meeting STEM qualifications over time. Turnover rates overall resemble those of other teachers, yet conceal gaps between high- and low-poverty schools. Findings support targeted recruitment and sustained support for STEM teachers in high-poverty settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study Data and Approach

Findings on Demographics and Qualifications

Turnover Patterns and Poverty Gaps

Implications for Recruitment and Support

AERA Open July-September 2018, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 1–13 DOI: 10. 1177/2332858418802790 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2018. [http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Changes in the Demographics, Qualifications, and Turnover of American STEM Teachers, 1988–2012 Tuan D. Nguyen Kansas State University Christopher Redding University of Florida Qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers are critical in the provision of high-quality STEM education for all students. Through descriptive and regression analysis, we document how demographic characteristics, qualifications, and turnover rates of a nationally representative sample of public school STEM teachers have changed from 1988 to 2012. Over this time period, STEM teachers are more likely to be female, attend selective colleges, have graduate degrees, and have STEM qualifications. Although STEM teachers are no more likely to turn over than other teachers, this masks differential rates between high-and low-poverty schools. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of recruiting qualified STEM teachers to work in high-poverty schools and providing supports to help them thrive and remain in the classroom. Keywords: math teachers, science teachers, stem, teacher turnover, teacher quality Introduction The mathematics and science performance of American students on national and international exams continues to lag in most grades, with gains that are made tending to be small in size or not persisting across cohorts of students (Kastberg, Chan, & Murray, 2016; Provasnik et al., 2016;“The nation’s report card: 2015 science results,” n.d.) . In addition, gender and racial/ethnic gaps endure, particularly for high school students (“The nation’s report card: 2015 science results,” n.d.) . The underperformance of American students on science and mathematics assessments is linked to concerns over the adequate supply of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals, particularly for women and racial/ethnic minorities who are underrepresented in degree attainment and employment in STEM occupations in all but the biological sciences (England & Li, 2006) . The importance of academic performance for those entering careers in the STEM field (RiegleCrumb, King, Grodsky, & Muller, 2012) points to the central role played by teachers in terms of shaping students’ mathematics and science reasoning, content knowledge, and professional aspirations. The recruitment and retention of qualified STEM teachers is a critical component in the provision of a high-quality STEM education for all students. Although researchers have identified value-added measures of quality to be better predictors of student achievement on standardized tests than observable teacher credentials or qualifications (Aaronson, Barrow, & Sander, 2007; Harris & Sass, 2011), math and science stand out as subjects in which content knowledge is impactful (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2010; Goldhaber & Brewer, 1997, 2000; Hill, 2007; Hill, Rowan,& Ball, 2005) . Despite the promise of highly qualified math and science teachers, this segment of teachers remains the least prepared. In 2012, 29.9% of high school math teachers, 25.6% of biological sciences teachers, and 54% of physical science teachers did not have a major relevant to their teaching assignment, in contrast to only 20.6% of English teachers (Hill & Stearns, 2015) . In addition, teachers with math or science degrees have historically turned over at twice the rate of teachers with other undergraduate degrees (Borman & Dowling, 2008), although, at least early in their careers, it tends to be the less effective teachers to exit teaching (Henry, Fortner, & Bastian, 2012) . As socializing agents, teachers not only support their students’ cognitive developm

FAQs

What does the study analyze about American STEM teachers from 1988 to 2012?

It analyzes changes in teachers’ demographics, qualifications, and turnover rates using descriptive and regression analysis.

How did the demographics and qualifications of STEM teachers change over time?

Over the period, STEM teachers became more likely to be female, attend selective colleges, hold graduate degrees, and have STEM qualifications.

Does the study find STEM teachers turn over more than other teachers?

Overall, STEM teachers are no more likely to turn over than other teachers, but the results reveal different turnover rates between high- and low-poverty schools.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher