Job prospects will be better than average for secondary-school teachers this decade, according to a report released this month by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
Between now and the year 2000, the number of jobs for secondary-school teachers will increase 1.5 percent annually, the report states.
Meanwhile, the demand for their kindergarten and elementary-school counterparts will keep pace with the national job-growth rate of 1.2 percent annually, states “The Occupational Outlook During the 1990’s.” The study is based on projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jeff Humphreys, author of the study, attributes the growth in teaching positions to the distribution of adolescents in the population.
More new jobs will be available in the South and West than in the Northeast and Midwest, said Mr. Humphreys, the center’s director of economic forecasting.
Along with the growth in teaching jobs, though, will be keen competition, Mr. Humphreys predicted. “One of the things that is going to make the competition pretty fierce is trends making it easier to get a teaching certificate,” said Mr. Humphreys, referring to alternative certification. “Another source of pressure is [the fact that] salaries will be more attractive than formerly.”
A six-part series outlining “What Teachers Should Know” begins airing this week on public and commercial radio stations nationwide.
Produced by the National Humanities Center, the 30-minute radio programs bring together master teachers and college professors to discuss their preparation and teaching techniques.
The first installment, scheduled to air this week, focuses on English and American literature. Foreign language and culture is the topic to be broadcast the week of June 2. Part 3, slated for the week of June 16, will address European and North American history.
Air dates and topics for the rest of the programs will be announced later.
The series is part of “Soundings,” a weekly radio program featuring conversations centering on the humanities. Funding comes from the University of North Carolina, its School of Education, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For local broadcast outlets and additional information, write the humanities center at 7 Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12256, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709, or call (919) 549-0661.--kd
