| Michelle Reininger
Northwestern University
Early aspirants: A longitudinal study of the path to teaching
While the nation's student body becomes increasingly diverse, our teaching force remains predominately white and female. A wealth of literature in education, sociology, and labor economics has examined factors affecting teacher labor force demographics. However, questions related to early interest in the profession have not been of particular focus. In this project, comprised of two studies, I will use a series of longitudinal surveys from the National Center of Education Statistics to examine questions about those who express an interest in becoming a teacher while in high school, Early Aspirants, and the realized occupational outcomes of these individuals later in life. These studies will explore, quantitatively, the diverse factors and influences that may help or hinder the flow from teacher aspirations to teacher entry. The first study will provide an in-depth descriptive analysis of the characteristics and experiences of the NELS students who aspire to teach and those who become teachers. The second study will be a cross-cohort comparison of teacher aspirants and teachers using three generations of NCES data (HS&B, NELS, and ELS). Using these successive cohorts will allow me get a more detailed view of the characteristics of those who aspired to teach and those who became teachers, as well as those who were lost to other occupations across three different time periods. In both of these studies I will pay particular attention to the characteristics and pathways of male and minority teacher aspirants.
Back to Funded Research Grants Page |