Classroom Context: Teacher Major/Minor

As part of the 2009 reading assessment, teachers of fourth- and eighth-graders were asked about their undergraduate and graduate education in reading/language arts as well as in other subject areas. The tables below, which focus only on reading/language arts and general education degrees earned, provide the percentages and average scores of students whose teachers responded within each category shown.

Fourth-graders whose teachers reported having an undergraduate major in education (222) scored higher than those with teachers who reported having a minor (219) or not having a degree in education (219).

Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part of your undergraduate coursework?

Subject	Major	Minor/special emphasis	Neither
	Average scale scores
Reading, language arts, or literacy education	221	222	221
English	222	221	221
Other language arts-related subject	220	219	221
Education (including elementary or early childhood)	222	219	219

Fourth-graders whose teachers reported having a graduate major in education (222) scored higher than those with teachers who reported having a minor (219) or not having a degree in education (221).

Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part of your graduate coursework?

Subject	Major	Minor/special emphasis	Neither
	Average scale scores
Reading, language arts, or literacy education	224	221	221
English	219	221	221
Other language arts-related subject	222	220	221
Education (including elementary or early childhood)	222	219	221

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. See complete data for teacher undergraduate major or minor in reading education, English, other language arts-related subject, or education. See complete data for teacher graduate major or minor in reading education, English, other language arts-related subject, or education.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.

Browse questionnaires for the NAEP assessments.