Chris Torres speaks with CBS News about the decline in students who choose to pursue a career in education
According to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, the number of bachelor's degrees conferred in education has plummeted by almost 50% since 1970.
CBS News reports that although the number of college students graduating with a post-secondary degree has grown 150% since 1970, the students who choose to pursue a career in education has steadily declined.
"Now that other types of jobs have opened up to women over the last few decades, you're seeing fewer highly educated women enter the profession," says Torres.
Torres, who taught kindergarten, first, and second grade, says it was the hardest job he’s ever had. He cites low wages and lack of respect for the profession as additional reasons for the downward trend. According to the Economic Policy Institute, public school teachers now earn about 24% less than other college-educated professionals, the biggest gap since 1979.
Torres says, "I don't think we've done enough to professionalize teaching and to raise the prestige of teaching, and to treat it like a true profession and be competitive around pay."
