There’s a mysterious drop in the number of teachers with master’s degrees in the state of West Virginia.
According to data from the state’s department of education, the number of such teachers declined 5 percent over the past decade. Some attribute it to the baby boomer-retirement exodus. Others to the fact that bad economic times are causing fewer teachers to seek master’s degrees. Yet others to the inevitable argument that teachers are leaving for higher-paying jobs in other fields. You can read more about it here in the Charleston Daily Mail.
Interestingly, during the time that the number of teachers with master’s degrees fell, the number of teachers seeking national-board certification rose.
There are some states that require teachers get a master’s degree to get a permanent license or to reach the highest step in a career ladder. But this news does make one wonder if the decline in advanced-degree-holding teachers is limited to West Virginia, or is it happening nationwide?
We don’t know yet, but time will tell.