Big Numbers, Big Impact: Education Statistics and What They Mean for Literacy Instruction

Our trio of experts takes a deep dive into statistics, looking at the data and trends in general education and what those numbers might mean for literacy instruction. An example? The average student-to-teacher ratio in elementary grades is 15 students to 1 teacher. What does that point to? As our hosts see it, smaller class sizes can reduce some of the need for small-group instruction because teachers have more time to spend with students individually as needed.

That’s just the start of this eye-opening, number-crunching episode. You can count on gathering some insightful data from this episode of Literacy Talks.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders

• Maryanne Wolf

Resources

• Acadience
• ESGI

References

• Statista. “Average Salary of Classroom Teachers in Public Schools in the U.S. From 1980 to 2021.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Back-to-School Statistics” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Educational Institutions.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• CER. “K-12 Facts.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. News. “High School Teacher Salary.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Statista. “Estimated Average Salary of Public School Teachers in the United States in 2020-2021, by State.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• We Are Teachers. “12 Powerful Statistics That Prove Why Teachers Matter.”Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Learning Policy Institute. “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Digest of Education Statistics.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: High School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “National Teacher and Principal Survey: Average and Median Age of Public School Teachers and Percentage Distribution of Teachers by Age Category, Sex, and State: 2017-18.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Teacher Characteristics and Trends.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Characteristics of Public School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Data Point: Race and Ethnicity of Public School Teachers and Their Students.” Accessed on

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