Secondary School Teachers

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that job opportunities for secondary school teachers will grow as fast as average for all careers through 2029, though opportunities will vary by region. Many teachers will reach retirement age over the next decade and will need to be replaced. Higher salaries will be necessary to attract new teachers and retain experienced ones, along with other changes such as smaller classroom sizes and safer schools. Other challenges for the profession involve attracting more men into teaching. The percentage of male teachers at this level continues to decline.

Teachers who are bilingual and who specialize in subjects such as math, science (especially chemistry and physics), English as a second language, and special education will be in high demand, especially in urban and rural school districts. In order to attract qualified teachers to these areas, some states and cities have started programs to pay for qualified candidates' graduate school or teacher certification education while the candidate works in a school that is in need of teachers. The New York City Teaching Fellows program is one such program. Visit https://www.nycteachingfellows.org for more information.

In order to improve education for all children, changes are being considered by some districts. Some private companies are managing public schools. Though some believe that a private company can afford to provide better facilities, faculty, and equipment, this hasn't been proven. Teacher organizations are concerned about taking school management away from communities and turning it over to remote corporate headquarters. Charter schools and voucher programs are two other controversial alternatives to traditional public education. Charter schools, which are small schools that are publicly funded but not guided by the rules and regulations of traditional public schools, are viewed by some as places of innovation and improved educational methods; others see charter schools as ill-equipped and unfairly funded with money that could better benefit local school districts. Vouchers, which exist only in a few cities, allow students to attend private schools courtesy of tuition vouchers; these vouchers are paid for with public tax dollars. In theory, the vouchers allow for more choices in education for poor and minority students, but private schools still have the option of being highly selective in their admissions. Teacher organizations see some danger in giving public funds to unregulated private schools.