Abstract
Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this paper examines the relationship between teaching plans and actually embarking on a teaching career. Results show that almost half the NLS respondents holding teaching positions in 1979 did not report teaching plans in high school, whereas three-fourths of the seniors who planned to teach were not teaching 7 years after high school graduation. Discriminant analysis is used to identify a set of background characteristics, demographic traits, and academic ability measures that distinguish different paths toward, into, and away from a career in teaching. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
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