For the past twenty years, the United States has experienced a consistent decrease in the number of individuals earning education degrees. This unsettling trend raises serious concerns about the future availability of qualified teachers. A recent comprehensive analysis by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), drawing upon data from the U.S. Department of Education, confirms this downward trajectory across all levels: bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
A Shrinking Teacher Pipeline
The numbers paint a stark picture: bachelor’s degrees in education plummeted from 109,622 in the 2003-04 academic year to just 90,710 in 2022-23. Similarly, master’s degrees saw a drop from 162,632 to 143,669 over the same period. Even in just the last year (2021-22 to 2022-23), bachelor’s degrees fell by 3%, and master’s degrees decreased by 5%.
Jacqueline King, a co-author of the AACTE reports and a consultant for the organization, highlighted the crucial role of this data. She noted that these reports serve as a vital “check-up” on the incoming supply of new educators. King also emphasized that ongoing federal support for education research is indispensable for guiding both policymakers and the public effectively.
Shifting Enrollment and Completion Trends
While the overall number of degrees has fallen, there’s a clear shift happening in how future teachers are being prepared. Enrollment in traditional higher education institutions for teacher training saw a significant decline, dropping from 611,296 students in 2012-13 to 407,556 in 2022-23. In stark contrast, alternative teacher certification programs, which are not based at colleges, experienced substantial growth, surging from 43,099 students to 124,428 during the same decade.
Completion rates mirror these patterns. In traditional college and university programs, 112,913 students completed teacher preparation in 2022-23, a considerable decrease from 163,851 ten years prior. Alternative programs, however, showed a modest increase in completions, rising from 15,550 to 16,899 over the same timeframe.
Detailed Trends in Teacher Preparation (2003-2023)
| Academic Year | Bachelor’s Degrees | Master’s Degrees | Students Enrolled (Comprehensive Colleges) | Students Enrolled (Alternative Programs) | Completions (Comprehensive Colleges) | Completions (Alternative Programs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | 109,622 | 162,632 | – | – | – | – |
| 2012-13 | – | – | 611,296 | 43,099 | 163,851 | 15,550 |
| 2022-23 | 90,710 | 143,669 | 407,556 | 124,428 | 112,913 | 16,899 |
Increasing Diversity Among Graduates
Amid these shifts, one positive development is the increasing diversity within the teaching profession. The proportion of non-White students earning education bachelor’s degrees grew from 23% in 2016-17 to 29% in 2022-23. At the master’s level, this share climbed from 28% to 33%, and for doctoral degrees in education, non-White students now account for 42% of graduates, up from 37% in 2016-17.
Understanding the Implications
The consistent decline in graduates from traditional education programs indicates a shrinking pool of new teachers from these established routes. However, the rise of alternative certification programs and the increasing diversity among new educators highlight a dynamic shift in the teacher workforce. Experts caution that without substantial and sustained investment in teacher preparation and ongoing research, the U.S. risks struggling to maintain a high-quality and adequate supply of educators.
The data dashboards and reports provided by AACTE offer crucial insights into these evolving trends, serving as an invaluable resource for policymakers and educational institutions working to adapt to these changes and secure the future of teaching in America.