A review of 60 studies examining school resources and student learning found that teacher ability, experience, and education are clearly associated with increases in student achievement. It also found that spending additional resources on teacher education is one of the most productive investments schools can make to raise student achievement. Every child needs and deserves dedicated, outstanding teachers who know their subject matter, are effectively trained, and know how to teach to high standards and to make learning come alive for students. The need for high-quality teachers is urgent and growing. Over the next decade, the Nation's schools will need to hire over two million teachers, over half of whom will be first-time teachers.
Many schools already face shortages of qualified teachers.
This is particularly true in high-poverty communities and in subject areas such as science and math. And many teachers, especially in high-poverty schools, are asked to teach subjects in which they have had little or no training. More than two million public elementary and secondary school teachers must be hired over the next decade. In 1998, over 6 percent of freshmen planned on a career in elementary education, and 4 percent planned on a career in secondary education. These percentages are the highest since the early 1970s and nearly twice what they were in 1982.