A comparative study of the attitudes toward teaching and other professions

The greatest problem facing the American educational system today is how to find enough qualified teachers. There are not enough young people entering the profession and too many teachers leaving. Considerable attention has been given to the economic factors and to the undesirable working conditions all too common in the teaching profession. It is the purpose of this study to identify and define the more important factors that contribute to the problem of recruitment and retention of teachers. It is the basic hypothesis of this study that one of the major reasons for this shortage is the attitude that many persons have toward the teaching profession. Potential teachers reject the profession; teachers withdraw from the profession because they do not enjoy the high prestige associated with the other learned professions.