A study of composition of teaching personnel working in pre-professional classes in Moscow’s schools

Problem and aim. Pre-professional classes are an efficient tool of solving the task of developing innovative economy of Moscow. The quality of learning outcomes and practical skills of students enrolled in pre-professional classes depends on the qualification of teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze and identify special aspects of the composition of teaching personnel who work in pre-professional classes in Moscow’s schools. Materials and research methods. The study was based on the data dedicated to teachers’ education, continuous professional development, and teaching experience. The dataset included open data published on schools’ websites and the data obtained from the Department of Education and Science of Moscow. The study involved the data of 2,215 teachers from 30 Moscow’s schools. The following has been accomplished within the study: conducting consultations with experts, reviewing academic literature and regulatory documents, data processing for statistical analysis, developing indicators, statistical processing of data, integrating and interpretating the obtained data, contrastive analysis of data of 30 schools, comparative analysis of the dataset with the data by Federal State Statistics Service. Research results. A portrait of a typical teacher teaching in pre-professional classes in Moscow’s schools is the following: a teacher by first job, aged 46.9 years, with highest qualification category, often with teaching experience of 26 and more years, with experience in the current organization of less than 5 years, and with high educational attainment. Almost all teachers included in the dataset have higher education. Some teachers have accomplished a number of higher education programmes and have a PhD or a Dr. Sc. degree. Regarding higher education attainment, teachers have graduated from teacher training and non-pedagogical universities (classical, specialized) in almost equal proportion. Teachers have studied in 82 different regions of Russia and 14 foreign countries. Mostly, teachers have acquired higher education in Moscow. The less the teaching experience of teachers the higher the ratio of teachers who have obtained a degree in Moscow’s non-pedagogical universities (classical or specialized). 72.8 % of teachers have participated in in-service training programmes, while 21.8 % of teachers have been enrolled in professional retraining programmes during their career. 24 % of teachers are continuously engaged in professional development activities. Teachers have been enrolled in in-service and professional retraining programmes at more than 600 providers of continuous professional development in 67 regions of Russia and 6 foreign countries. A large proportion of professional development programmes mastered by teachers are offered by providers located in Moscow. Conclusion. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the data on educational trajectories of Moscow’s teachers collected by informational systems have not been studied before. The results of the study include developing a generalized portrait of a teacher, describing higher education and continuous professional development of teachers, identifying the ratio of pedagogical and non-pedagogical majors of teachers, showcasing the geography of higher educational institutions and CPD providers. The practical value of the study includes using the obtained results as a basis for decision making in the field of CPD programme management involving teachers of pre-professional classes, developing and / or improving an analytical system of collecting and processing data dedicated to teachers’ educational trajectories.