Exclusive versus Mixed, General versus CTE: Building a New Taxonomy of STEMM High School Teachers

Abstract

There has been a recent expansion of high school course offerings in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical/health (STEMM) fields. The large span of courses now offered in STEMM are delineated across STEMM-general courses (i.e., chemistry) and STEMM-CTE courses (i.e., information technology). Little is known, however, about who are the teachers in these courses. This brief addresses this void by developing a taxonomy of the STEMM teaching workforce using statewide data from Maryland. Through this taxonomy, we examine the number of STEMM teachers by whether they teach general versus CTE STEMM courses, and whether they do so exclusively or across both types. We then examine what teaching courseloads look like across these groupings, as well as by qualifications and demographics. The aim of this brief is to understand not only the landscape of who teaches which STEMM courses, but also to identify disparities. This can help inform research on STEMM courses and teachers as well as policy, practice, and professional development.