Many efforts are under way to improve teaching in America.
However, much work remains to be done. NCES and the commission point to a number of distressing trends in American teaching. Nationwide shortages of qualified teachers exist in certain subject areas, including mathematics, science, bilingual and special education, and foreign languages. High-poverty schools have the greatest difficulties hiring qualified teachers for their classrooms. Only 13 percent of our nation s teachers are ethnic minorities, while 36 percent of their students are.