Employment in Education

Students come to the College of Saint Rose teacher education programs filled with promise, and they graduate ready to fulfill that promise and indeed are a major force in the teaching profession, especially in the greater Capital region. It is estimated that one-third of the teachers in the greater Capital Region hold at least one degree from Saint Rose.

Students at The College of Saint Rose who expect to become teachers are characterized by several factors:

• They comprise 45% of the undergraduate enrollment and 79% of the graduate enrollment of the College
• Those accepted to the College for fall 2003 have a high school average of 89%+.
• First year students accepted for fall 2003 have average SATs of approximately 1021, compared to a national average in education of 960-980.
• In spring 2003, they had a retention rate at the College of more than 94% from fall to spring.
• Typically they graduate from Saint Rose in just 4 years after they matriculate.
• More than 90% pass the New York State Teacher Certification Examination on their first attempt; the overall pass rate within the year of graduation is 94%.

Current data on teacher hiring paint an encouraging picture for students just entering the College to prepare to teach. Shortages in candidates for teaching positions occur in some areas, especially the larger urban centers and most rural districts, and future teachers should consider those locations as especially strong professional opportunities. Estimates for the need for new teachers across the country between now and 2008-09 remain high because of continuing enrollment growth in P-12 and retirement of an aging teacher population. Based on projected statistics, it is expected that the annual need for teachers will continue from the present through the end of the 2008-09 hiring year. What is also clear is that the geographical areas of need and the locus of large numbers of available teachers do not always match, and that successful employment may require relocation. Current crises in national, state, and district school budgets are also adding to the uncertainty of availability of positions on a predictable basis. Nevertheless, many school districts still find themselves searching for teachers in the weeks before school opens in the fall.

For those who are willing to leave the Capital region to seek teaching employment, the options are significant. The College is working with the New York City Board of Education to encourage students to undertake student teaching in New York City, with the guarantee of a teaching position for anyone who successfully completes student teaching and achieves New York State certification. We also have a record of substantial interactions with Clark County, NV schools, and with Los Angeles. Several St. Rose graduates have taken jobs in those locations. Those areas continue to need large numbers of teachers. New York City, for example needs to hire 10,000-12,000 teachers each year, and 50,000+ over the next five years (personal conversation with the Acting Chancellor and the Director of Recruitment). Los Angeles requires thousands of new teachers annually.

For those who are bound to this area, positions are available as large numbers of teachers "age out" and retire. Recent personal conversations with local superintendents with whom the College works regularly reveal that teachers are retiring in high numbers, and that school districts are filling positions because of increased enrollments and field-specific needs.

According to data provided by the New York Department of Labor, the United States Department of Education, and local school administrators, positions in Earth Science are particularly difficult to fill with qualified teachers. There are regional positions in Earth Science presently filled by persons on temporary licenses or licenses in other science fields. Further, the demand for earth science teachers, especially in selected areas in New York State and across the country, is substantial, and offers wide opportunity for new graduates. Thus we project a market for the graduates of the program presented here for approval.

The need for persons in other roles in education is also worthy of note for the opportunity it provides for teachers who may wish to prepare to become administrators, counselors, or school psychologists after some experience as teachers. The same data sources reveal substantial needs for persons in these positions, with the demand for administrators being particularly acute. These categories of need will contribute to increasing availability of teaching positions, and for some teachers the possibility of advancement within a school system makes the career as a whole more attractive.

In addition to the publication and dissemination of this information, the College provides other opportunities for students to learn about teaching positions. The College of Saint Rose each year hosts a large teacher recruitment fair at which both local and more removed school districts recruit new teachers and educators for other positions. The College Career Center maintains an active listing of open positions across the country and assists students in using various data bases to identify and apply for openings.

Graduates of The College of Saint Rose's teacher preparation programs have been relatively successful in finding employment in the field. A survey of 1998 graduates reveals that approximately 90% of responding graduates of our teacher education programs held jobs in education in the year after they graduated. A survey of graduates of years 2000-2003 is presently under way.

When we place the preparation of new teachers in the light of the predictions for need for teachers, and the increasing mobility of today's college graduates, the employment picture for educators is very bright.

The College of Saint Rose each year hosts a large teacher recruitment fair at which both local and more removed school districts recruit new teachers and educators for other positions. The College Career Center maintains an active listing of open positions across the country and assists students in using various data bases to identify and apply for openings.