High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries

“The High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries” by Dave Eggers and Ninive Clements Calegari

New York Times, April 30, 2011

Topic: We should pay our teachers more

Summary: This article talks about how backwards our system is that when it is not working well (poor student performance) that teachers are blamed. The authors liken teachers to soldiers on the front lines of the education battle. It is pointed out to us that when we don’t get the results we had hoped for in military endeavors, the soldiers themselves are not blamed, the planners (rightly so) are blamed. So why is it that teachers are blamed when plans created by policy makers, administration, school boards, etc. culminate in poor results? The op-ed piece argues that we should be paying our teachers more. It touches on teacher retention rate, teacher salaries in high performing countries (Finland, Singapore, and Korea), and support for teachers.

Intended audience: General Public

Key Points:

• Don’t blame teachers when they are carrying out the “orders” of higher up planners. Don't shoot the messenger.
• Teachers make 14% than professionals in other occupations that require similar education
• Other countries pay their teachers more and support them by providing training and development
• Teacher retention rates in the United States are terrible – 46% quit before their fifth year – and this is expensive.
• If there’s a will there’s a way.

Relevance: We all think we should be paid more – it looks like someone else does too. It is interesting to see the difference in salaries (purchasing power wise) between us and some other countries. I think this goes along with the idea of ensuring that teachers are seen as professionals.