I think of a teacher’s worth (in pay, at least) this way. As my wife puts it, there are six things that people need – food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care and legal protection. Restaurants are a booming industry that gets paid well. The fashion industry makes tons of cash. Construction is a money-making and thriving business. Naturally, doctors are known for their wealth, as are lawyers. So why is it that educators, one of the six are paid so little?
Most think this is an unfair balance. When reports do suggests that teachers are overcompensated, others generally find them faulty. For example, last November the American Enterprise Institute published an article that suggested that teachers overcharge taxpayers $120 billion each year, and that teachers earn 52 percent greater than fair market levels. It doesn’t take long to realize this is based on unfounded claims, though. I first strongly doubted their report when they suggested that teachers are less intelligent than other workers, and therefore deserve less pay. The National Education Policy Center finds that claim unfounded, as well. NEPC also disagrees with AEP’s conclusions that teachers’ benefits calculate at 100.8 percent of pay (The Department of Labor puts it at 32.8 percent, which NEPC calls almost identical to the private sector), that time off is 28.8 percent shorter than the private sectors work year (NEPC says closer to 12 percent shorter), that pension costs are valued at 32 percent (NEPC says closer to 8.4 percent) and that job stability is valued at 8.6 percent (NEPC doesn’t give an alternative, but says the argument is not sustained). In short, NEPC disagrees strongly with AEI, and says AEI’s report is “built on a series of faulty analyses.” NEPC values teacher under compensation at 19 percent.
NEPC
isn’t alone in stating that teachers are undercompensated. The New Republic
states that high school teachers in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what their
fellow university graduates make after 15 years of work. TNR compares this to
countries like Finland ,
where, after 15 years, teachers make 102 percent of what their fellow
university graduates make.
We’ve
established that teachers are underpaid. But why?
Some
attribute the U.S.
low teacher salaries to pay schedules. All teachers are familiar with this
program, where the years of experience combined with the years of education
dictate payment. Michael Podgursky of the University of Missouri-Columbia
suggests that if education paid teachers like the private sector pays its
employees, teachers would be paid more fairly. He implies that pay should be
based on the field (special education would get paid more than English, for
example) and success as a teacher. While there is strong logic behind his
argument, I am wary to support this idea. We’ve seen over the past couple of
decades the effects of the education system simulating business practices (No
Child Left Behind, anyone? How about the accountability movement?). So far, it
really hasn’t worked. Would Podgursky’s ideas be any different?
Last
week I discussed merit-based pay. But what other options have you heard of? Do
you support them (or any of these)? Do
you have ideas of your own?
All in all, I think most can agree teachers should get paid more. Whether you side with the reports mentioned above, which suggests raising the average teachers pay anywhere from 19 to 35 percent, you agree with the six-essentials theory (that suggests teachers should get paid a lot more) or you agree with any number of other theories not mentioned here (and there are a lot out there), the point is, teachers don’t get paid enough. What are the steps needed to improve the situation?
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