High-Need Subject Areas in California Teaching (2024)

FAQs

High-Need Subject Areas in California Teaching? ›

Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand. Qualified math teachers should be able to teach in multiple areas, including algebra, calculus, and trigonometry.

Which teaching subject is most in demand? While specific needs vary by institution, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are subjects that are always in high demand. Qualified math teachers should be able to teach in multiple areas, including algebra, calculus, and trigonometry.

California has a teacher shortage area for elementary education teachers, language arts teachers (grades 5-12), social studies teachers (grades 5-12) and physical education teachers (grades K-12).

— A teacher shortage is affecting schools across the nation, but it's especially bad in California. A recent study by the California School Boards Association found California ranks 47th among all states for its student-teacher ratio.

Teacher salaries for science, math and other STEM-related classes are higher than subjects like art and foreign languages. For example, according to PayScale, a physics teacher makes 11% more than a language arts teacher. Subjects that usually offer a higher salary: Biology.

But the teacher shortage has hit California hardest in the special education realm. In fact, two out of three special education teachers hired in 2016-17 had substandard credentials. And yet nearly eight in 10 California schools are in need of teachers trained in special education.

Nevada, California and Utah are among the states with the worst teacher-to-student ratios in the country, according to research. As schools across the U.S. continue to grapple with educator shortages, legislators are looking to find ways to encourage teachers to stay in or return to the profession.

The shortages are not equal and never have been. As even national survey data show, it's about 2 to 3 times harder to fill foreign language, special education and STEM teaching positions than it is to find general elementary or social studies teachers.

Teacher pay was highest in Silicon Valley's Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, where teachers earned, on average, about $161,600. A quick way to adjust pay for cost of living is to calculate the difference between the average teacher salary and the cost of the typically priced home.

How bad is the California teacher shortage? ›

According to the California Department of Education, there were more than 10,000 teacher vacancies during the 2021-22 school year, particularly concentrated in rural communities, communities of color and low-income communities, as well as a 16% reduction in new teacher credentials, the first decline in nearly a decade.

New Hampshire and New Mexico topped WalletHub's 2020 ranking of the worst states for teachers.

Most junior high schools consider these to be necessary subjects: English language arts. Science. Math.

The popularity of Mathematics persists amongst respondents at the country level, with more than 11% of included respondents listing it as a favourite in each of the countries in the chart. English Language was the second most popular choice with 37% worldwide and 31% of included respondents selecting it as a favourite.

Men overwhelmingly say math has been the most valuable subject in their lives, with English and science essentially tied for second. Women are as likely to mention English as math as the most valuable subject.