Ways to Reform Teacher Compensation, beyond a $60,000 Minimum Salary

Writing for Brown Center Chalkboard, Michael Hansen recently reviewed ways to reform teacher compensation without imposing a minimum annual salary across the board. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Teacher compensation reform has reemerged as an urgent policy topic, with bills introduced in both chambers of Congress to incentivize states to pay teachers a $60,000 Read more about Ways to Reform Teacher Compensation, beyond a $60,000 Minimum Salary[…]

Share

What happens when school leaders are allowed to abandon “step and lane” pay scales

Writing for the Fordham Institute, Amber Northern recently reviewed what happened after the British government abandoned step and lane pay scales for teachers. Excerpts from the piece appear below. In 2013, the British government ended the use of “annual progression” pay scales for teachers. These were similar to U.S.-style “step and lane” models but were Read more about What happens when school leaders are allowed to abandon “step and lane” pay scales[…]

Share

Michigan Student Teachers could Get Paid for their Classroom Time

Recently in Chalkbeat, Tracie Mauriello reviewed a new program in Michigan that allows student teachers to get paid for the time they spend in the classroom. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The Michigan House passed a bill that would provide student teachers a stipend of $90 per day. Experienced teachers who serve as their Read more about Michigan Student Teachers could Get Paid for their Classroom Time[…]

Share

Smart Money 2.0

The National Council on Teacher Quality recently released a report by Patricia Saenz-Armstrong comparing the salary trajectories of teachers in 90 large school districts across the country. Excerpts from the piece appear below: “Teacher pay is low.” It has been said hundreds of thousands of times before. The search term “teacher pay is low” produces Read more about Smart Money 2.0[…]

Share

Appraising Teachers Across the Globe: Where the U.S. Stands

Writing for FutureEd, Andreas Schleicher reviews the findings of the second volume of the  Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Excerpts of the piece appear below. TALIS, which surveyed 260,000 secondary school teachers and administrators worldwide, found that only 7 percent of teachers work in schools Read more about Appraising Teachers Across the Globe: Where the U.S. Stands[…]

Share

Teacher Turnover and the Disruption of Teacher Staffing

Helen Ladd and Lucy Sorensen, writing for the Brookings blog, recently explored the concerns associated with within-school turnover, focusing on the churn in middle school core subject areas. Excerpts from their piece appear below: We draw on a recent paper in which we examined how middle schools in North Carolina responded to changes in the Read more about Teacher Turnover and the Disruption of Teacher Staffing[…]

Share

Experienced teachers key in California districts that ‘beat the odds’

John Fensterwald, writing for California’s EdSource, recently reviewed a study of 156 California districts that ‘beat the odds’ in student achievement for underserved students and distilled the characteristics of those districts that had the most impact on results. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Research released this week identified 156 California school districts with higher Read more about Experienced teachers key in California districts that ‘beat the odds’[…]

Share

Strong Teacher Evaluation Systems Go Hand-in-Hand With Improved Teacher Quality

Analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds tangible evidence that teacher evaluation systems, when implemented well, are coinciding with real and measurable benefits for students and teachers alike. The past decade has been marked by rapid changes in teacher evaluations. While many districts and states announced their intention to install better systems, Read more about Strong Teacher Evaluation Systems Go Hand-in-Hand With Improved Teacher Quality[…]

Share

State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession

Most states have been struggling to address teacher shortages for several years now, often filling the vacuum with underprepared teachers who aren’t able to give children the high-quality learning they need and who leave at two to three times the rate of well-prepared teachers. Most often, these teachers are hired in schools serving students of Read more about State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession[…]

Share

NCTQ Releases Strategic Teacher Compensation Databurst

NCTQ’s Strategic Teacher Compensation Databurst, a study of states’ strategic teacher compensation policies, includes a snapshot of all 50 states’ and the District of Columbia’s teacher compensation policies as they relate to providing additional compensation for effective teacher performance, teaching in high-need schools and subjects, and relevant, prior non-teaching work experience. In addition to comprehensive Read more about NCTQ Releases Strategic Teacher Compensation Databurst[…]

Share

NCTQ Releases 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide

NCTQ’s 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide highlights leading state work across 37 different policy areas that impact teacher quality. This resource serves as a guide to all states seeking concrete ideas and examples of how to improve teacher policy. Despite consistent concerns regarding whether states are acting quickly and ambitiously enough to improve Read more about NCTQ Releases 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide[…]

Share

Which states are friendliest to teachers?

In some states, teachers are more fairly paid and treated than in others and therefore less likely to face a revolving door of teacher turnover. To help America’s educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 21 key indicators of teacher-friendliness, divided Read more about Which states are friendliest to teachers?[…]

Share

Which States Pay Teachers the Most (and Least)?

Alaska and New York pay teachers nearly double the salaries of those working in Mississippi and Oklahoma, says a new study by GoBankingRates. According to the finance website, teachers in Alaska and New York are paid each year on average $77,843 and $76,953, respectively. By contrast, the averages in Mississippi and Oklahoma are $42,043 and Read more about Which States Pay Teachers the Most (and Least)?[…]

Share

August Issue Brief: Teacher Compensation

Teacher compensation matters for attracting and retaining effective educators, however, the U.S. pays teachers less than most industrialized countries pay their teachers. The Education Commission of the States recently released an overview of the various approaches to teacher compensation being used by American states as well as a summary of the research supporting these approaches: Read more about August Issue Brief: Teacher Compensation[…]

Share

A Look at Compensation for Public School Instructional Staff

Between 1991 and 2011, spending on compensation—including salaries and benefits—for public school instructional staff increased by more than 50 percent, with most of that increase going toward the cost of benefits, according to a new data point from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The new publication, Instructional Staff Salary and Benefits Spending: 1991–2011, Read more about A Look at Compensation for Public School Instructional Staff[…]

Share

The CLASS Project: Empowering Educators, Raising Student Achievement

Against a statewide backdrop of sliding student achievement levels, widening education inequities, and high levels of teacher dissatisfaction, the CLASS Project—an Oregon nonprofit initiative—has made sharp gains in all of these areas while simultaneously improving the working relationships between various education system stakeholders. But what exactly IS the Creative Leadership Achieves Student Success (CLASS) Project? Read more about The CLASS Project: Empowering Educators, Raising Student Achievement[…]

Share