Dear Commons Community,
The Center for American Progress just released a report that finds many areas of the country barely pay teachers more as they gain experience. This problem might be contributing to high teacher turnover rates costing school districts billions of dollars each year. As reported in The Huffington Post;
“While the report recognizes that low teacher pay is not news -– especially when it comes to low entry-level salaries –- researchers were interested in seeing if the salaries of mid- and late-career teachers “were high enough to attract and keep the nation’s most talented individuals.” However, in a profession where teacher turnover costs up to $2 billion annually, the results they found are quite depressing.
According to the report, there are several areas of the country where teachers with up to 10 years of experience qualify for federally funded programs that help families in need. In places like Arizona and North Dakota, teachers who act as the breadwinner for a family of four or more qualify for federal programs that could make their children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.”
The chart above demonstrates how little teacher salaries grow in some parts of the country.
On an international scale, the United States ranks 19th in salaries for experienced elementary school teachers. See chart below.
Tony
