Education Policy Brief: The Status of Male Teachers in Public Education Today

[MenTeach: This is a Policy Brief out of the University of Indiana written by Shaun P. Johnson who taught the first graduate course with a focus on men in education. Bryan G. Nelson of MenTeach provides a commentary at the end of the policy brief.]

Current statistics show that roughly one quarter of all classroom teachers are male and the proportion plummets to approximately ten percent in the elementary grades. A paucity of men in teaching is certainly not a new phenomenon and has remained relatively constant despite a century or more of various educational reforms. Before presenting current statistics on the lack of male teachers, this brief will establish the necessary historical context of the issue so that teaching’s dubious classification as ‘women’s work’ is adequately understood. Many men cite several common reasons why they do not choose teaching as a career, and several empirical studies will be reviewed in this report outlining the unique experiences of male teachers.