Poster #106 - Trends and Penalties in the New Jersey's Teacher Workforce Landscape

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

Establishing a steady pipeline of qualified teachers is a critical issue in the United States, particularly as a large cohort of educators from the baby boomer generation continues to retire. New Jersey is one of many states confronting concerns about having enough qualified teachers to adequately staff its public schools and meet the learning needs of all enrolled students. For policies to effectively address teacher supply challenges, it is essential to better understand the trends in the teacher workforce, including inflow and exit rates. We also need to simultaneously expand this understanding and examine supplemental employment and pay penalties, if any, as research has shown that teachers earn less than college graduates working in other fields, with average adjusted incomes remaining nearly unchanged since 2011 (NCES, 2023). This “teacher pay the penalty” may lead some to take on supplemental work or leave the profession (Allegretto, 2023; Bryant et al., 2023).

Using data from the New Jersey Statewide Data System, this research quantitatively examines trends and projections in New Jersey’s teacher workforce for the 2013–14 to 2023–24 school years. Specifically, we ask three research questions: a) What are the trends in the NJ teacher workforce by the number of teachers and subject area? b) What are the trends in exits and inflow into the teacher workforce? c) To what extent are New Jersey’s teachers holding employment outside of the education industry? What types of workforce experiences and earnings are obtained through supplemental employment?

Our findings show that the overall number of teachers in the state has remained relatively stable over the past 11 years, though staffing increases are needed in mathematics and science classes. Retirements accounted for 20% to 30% of teachers' exits across the study period. The number of new provisional teacher certifications declined substantially relative to the permanent exits, suggesting looming staffing shortfalls. When analyzing supplemental employment, we find that about 16% of teachers work outside of the education industry. Teachers who engage in supplemental employment outside of education tend to earn around 6% less than their peers who do not, and their outside earnings, on average, offset this 6% difference.

Overall, this research highlights the importance of integrating administrative records from various state agencies to enhance states' understanding of their K-12 public education workforce, thereby facilitating the development of targeted policy solutions.

Authors

• Obofoni Ann Obadan, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie Walsh, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Non-Presenting Co-Author