The value of teacher experience for improving student learning is supported by decades of research. This has driven both federal and state policies intended to promote more equitable distribution of experienced teachers. Unfortunately, inequitable access to experienced teachers remains a reality for students across the nation including, as RFA finds in this analysis, for students in Allegheny County.
Using personnel records from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), this ACER report takes a closer look at teacher experience in Allegheny County, examining whether equity gaps exist between district and charter schools and between student subgroups.
Key findings:
- In 2019-20, teachers in Allegheny County public schools averaged 15 years of teaching experience, which is slightly higher than the state average. The county average, however, masks a wide range, with some schools averaging only four years of teacher experience and others as high 21 years.
- Teachers in Allegheny County district schools averaged over twice the years of experience compared to teachers in county charter schools. And, while only 13% of district teachers had five or fewer years of experience, over half (55%) of charter school teachers had five or fewer years of experience.
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On average, schools serving higher percentages of students of color and students with economic disadvantage had less experienced teachers.
