Secondary education: structures, challenges, and reform

Secondary Education

What is the future like for those who want to become secondary teachers in the coming decades? Quite positive. The baby-boomers are moving into their senior years and the country is becoming more and more gray, yet the teaching profession has not lost its importance. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 1998 and 2010, the number of teachers for both elementary and secondary schools is projected to rise, primarily due to the increase in school enrollment during this period. The number of secondary teachers will increase at a faster rate than the number of elementary teachers. "Excellent job opportunities will stem from the large number of teachers expected to retire over the next 10 years, particularly at the secondary school level" (U.S. Dept. Of Labor). Individuals who are presently getting a degree in education or planning to in the next several years, will most likely have little difficulty finding a position.

The world of education and the role of the teacher are rapidly changing. In the past, teachers spent nearly all of their time drilling students in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies and English. Today and in the coming decades, educators will be taking more time to especially prepare young men and women for their future careers. Instead of having one lifelong occupation as in the past, present-day graduates will hold as many as a half a dozen different positions during their lifetimes. As a result, "many classes are becoming less structured, with students working in groups to discuss and solve problems together" (ibid.).

Preparing students for this future workforce is a major stimulus generating the changes in education. To be prepared, students must be able to interact with others, adapt to new technology, and logically think through problems. Teachers, chiefly those insecondary schools, must provide the tools and environment for their students to develop these skills.

Increasingly, secondary school teachers are leading one or two specialized areas. They may, for example, instruct the traditional English class as well as business, communication or computer design. This will become more prevalent as students expect to ready themselves for varying types of vocations.

Secondary school teachers are and will continue to be needed by both private and public schools, including parochial institutions, detention centers, vocational schools and schools of the arts. (Morkes 324) "Although some rural areas maintain schools, most secondary schools are in towns and cities of all sizes." Secondary teachers are also finding opportunities in the growing number of charter schools that are smaller, deregulated institutions that receive public funding (ibid).

Teaching offers a number of personal and monetary benefits. Secondary educators have the opportunity to work with students from a wide variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. They can act as role models, helping these pupils set and reach their unique objectives and goals. Seeing students develop new skills and gain an appreciation of knowledge and learning can be very rewarding.

Secondary teachers can work both in non-technical areas, such as English and art, as well as in the more technical fields including the sciences, information technology and the Internet. In addition, they may be able to be involved with other aspects of education such as administration, student and/or adult organizations, programming, course development and evaluation.

Because of the increasing needs of their students, a larger number of teachers are also going back to school to get their master's degree. In addition or in place of this, they may attend seminars, conferences and/or courses in their specific field of education or in a completely different knowledge area. Although the majority of teachers work only during the school year, growing numbers are taking other classes or jobs, traveling or spending more time with their families throughout the summer months (Farr 445). This enhances their talents and personal lives as well as bring in added funds.

Median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary school teachers ranged from $37,610 to $42,080 in 2000; the lowest 10% earned $23,320 to $28,460; the top 10% earned $57,590 to $64,920. According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $27,989 in the 1999-2000 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 1999-2000 school year was $41,820. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers.

The U.S. Department of Education predicts that 322,000 more secondary teachers will be needed by 2008 to meet rising enrollments and to replace the large numbers of retiring teachers (Morkes 326).

Job opportunities for teachers over the next 10 years should be excellent, attributable mostly to the large number of teachers expected to retire. The location of the openings will be greater in rural areas that do not have as great of a draw as suburban and some urban areas (Harkavy 175). Some inner-city areas may also have greater number of openings, because of the more difficult teaching environment and lower salaries. "There should also be demand for minority and bilingual teachers, as well as other essential services for scarcer revenue dollars" (ibid). Increasing enrollments of minorities, coupled with a shortage of minority teachers, should cause efforts to recruit minority teachers to intensify (Dept. Of Labor).

Employment will also depend on state and local spending on education, which cannot be forecast reliably" (ibid 173). The state of the United States' economy will have an impact as well. The past couple of years, for example, have seen school districts all over the country cutting their budgets and services as the taxpayers have appropriated fewer dollars and set different priorities.