75 percent of NBEA members recently polled believe the number of business educators is decreasing across the United States.  This is an understandable belief because of the massive shift in "business education" topics over the past two decades. However, how can we measure the number of business educators certifiying to teach?

NBEA was challenged with this question and reached out to the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  ETS adminsters the Praxis 5101 exam which is  is a subject-specific exam that tests knowledge of business-related topics. Many states use the 5101 in their traditional and non-traditional certification programs to evaluate the qualifications of prospective teachers. The Praxis tests are used in 46 states and the District of Columbia.However, each state has its own Praxis testing requirements, and some states only require the Praxis for specific areas or none at all.

The hypothesis is that if we measure the number of Praxis 5101 tests taken over time, it should give us a general benchmark to determine whether the number of teachers qualifying is increasing or decreasing. 

Examining data back to 2015, this is what we find:

Note: ETS reports data every three years and doesn't break down the years separately.

A statistical analysis shows a standard devision across years of only 53.67 test takers. So what do we take from this when combined with the antidotal information from teachers in the field?  

1. These results indicate national trends, not local.

2. There is evidence that the number of business teachers qualifying is consistent across years.

3. These results are for secondary school not college or university which have different teacher qualifying criteria.

4. Antidotal reports to NBEA indicate a SHIFTING in business education topics. For example, traditional "business teachers" may be shifting to computer related courses. 

Thoughts? Do you see problems with this hypothesis? do you have a better idea of how NBEA could better measure the number of business educators? Leave a comment.