The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession:
Prestige, Interest, Preparation, and Satisfaction over the Last Half Century
Matthew Kraft & Melissa Arnold Lyon
NBER Working Paper, April 2024
Abstract:
We examine the state of the U.S. K-12 teaching profession
over the last half century by compiling nationally representative time-series
data on four interrelated constructs: occupational prestige, interest among
students, the number of individuals preparing for entry, and on-the-job
satisfaction. We find a consistent and dynamic pattern across every measure: a
rapid decline in the 1970s, a swift rise in the 1980s extending into the mid-1990s,
relative stability, and then a sustained decline beginning around 2010. The
current state of the teaching profession is at or near its lowest levels in 50
years. We identify and explore a range of hypotheses that might explain these
historical patterns including economic and sociopolitical factors, education
policies, and school environments.