Recently the The Manhattan Institute, a New York conservative think tank known to open criticize public schools and the teaching profession, released a report claiming that teachers across the nation earned an average of $34.06 per hour in 2005, which was $8.98 more than the average non-sales, white-collar worker. I guess the policy wonks at the Manhattan Institute got nervous when they learned that more business leaders, policymakers, independent researchers, and education economists increasingly agree that teachers need to be paid more and differently. The institute's findings were released the same day that Iowa’s Gov. Chet Culver, a former teacher from Des Moines, called for $70 million more to help increase average teacher pay in his state from 40th to 25th in the nation.
Here are the facts: According to a 2005 report the average salary of today’s teacher ($46,597 per year) is far less than those of the full professor ($94,606), engineer ($78,023), computer systems analyst ($73,269), retail buyer ($64,813), and accountant ($56,102). Over the past decade, the purchasing power of teachers has dropped as well. For example, between 1994 and 2004, for every real $1 increase in average accountant pay, teacher pay rose only 19 cents.
The cherry-picking data analyses of the Manhattan Institute relies on governmental data that calculates teachers’ work hours by examining union contracts or school district employment rules. The vast majority of teachers work more than 49 hours a week, with many after-school hours of lesson planning, parent conferences, home visits, school events and meetings with colleagues. In addition, in any given year approximately 25 percent of America’s teachers attend summer education programs to improve their skills or learn new content. Unlike what is found in most professions, teachers often pay for their own professional development. About 42 percent of America’s teachers also teach in summer school to supplement their salaries.
The institute’s analyses of the work life of teachers is naïve, at best. In 2004, the distinguished members of The Teaching Commission, chaired by former IBM chief executive Louis V. Gerstner Jr., recommended that the nation invest an additional $30 billion per year in teacher compensation, giving every teacher a 10 percent increase and providing a 30 percent increase to the “top half.” More later on what Gerstner calls for in paying the top half of teachers a lot more. Indeed across-the-board teacher pay increases are NOT the panacea for improving teacher supply, quality, and retention. However, the Manhattan Institute teacher pay conclusions are way out of step with both the research data and our nation’s business elites
Talk about cherry-picking:
According to a 2005 report the average salary of today’s teacher ($46,597 per year) is far less than those of the full professor ($94,606), engineer ($78,023), computer systems analyst ($73,269), retail buyer ($64,813), and accountant ($56,102).
Full professors' salaries should not be directly compared to those of teachers. Neither should computer analysts. Those jobs, frankly, require brain power that is harder to find, and that is less necessary to say, be a good elementary teacher. A sensible elitist, not driven by emotion but by reason, can understand that teachers DO NOT deserve to make as much money as people in more demanding occupations. Sorry, but it's true.
Posted by: djc | February 01, 2007 at 11:57 AM
Indeed, too many people have uninformed understandings of what it takes to be a successful teacher. Consider a typical urban school district, where 50 percent or more of the students live in poverty and where 70 different languages are spoken. An elementary school teacher, like many I have had to honor to observe and work with in many school districts, may have over 30 students in a class, where Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, and Khmer as well as English are spoken. This typical teacher may 10 “inclusion” students on Individual Education Plans. One student has an orthopedic disability and another has a severe case of manic depression. The teacher is expected to ensure that each of these students passes state tests for promotion. They must do so with little time to consult with colleagues – so common among the other professionals you mentioned. They msut do so without any of the resources (e.g, comouters) and supports (e,g., mentors and staged induction) other professionals take for granted. Your misperceptions are perhaps not surprising, given that scholars are just beginning to reach consensus about all that an elementary school teacher must know – e.g., literacy, linguistics, mathematics, science, history, civics, child development, community relations, learning disabilities, parental engagement, and technology and digital media – just for starters. Teaching is the profession that makes all others possible.
Posted by: Barnett Berry | February 01, 2007 at 10:33 PM
Hello,
My name is Theresa (Teri) Stewart, and I have a big stake in education and children. I have lived through the turmoils of life as a Teacher, Child Care Provider, and from a Student Aide to working directly under the Superintendent of a School District and as a Program Director of multiple child care centers. I see that there is much to be concerned about in our world of educating children.
I have been an advocate of education and children for 37 years. I have taught in the Northeast, South, and in the Western United States. I have worked in public schools, private schools, and child development centers. I have worked my way up from a Student Aid to a Coordinator for schools districts, and a Program Director for child care centers. I have taught from infant to adults, and from Art to Technology. I have achieved 7 Teaching Credentials in my career.
As I see it, we have many problems that are intermingled and need addressing for Classroom Teachers as well as Early Childhood Teachers and Child Care Providers. All are working to develop children's skills and preparing them for a good life. Neither group of Teachers are paid well enough for all that they provide for the millions of children they teach. In the article above, it states that classroom teachers put in 45 hours per week. I believe this is a gross understatement, as I know from my own experience and that of my colleagues, that we are working almost every moment of every day for the children. We are shopping, and using our salaries to purchase materials for the classrooms, or centers and programs for the children. We devote multiple hours thinking through lessons, and going to required, unpaid trainings in order to do the very best we can for the children and fulfill the growing requirements placed upon all Teachers and Child Care Providers. We do all of this to make sure the children are receiving the very best we can provide, so they may "provide" for themselves some day.
In other countries, Teachers are revered and honored. Their pay is higher as the recognition is given to the importance of all that Teachers do for the children and society. There is a direct relationship and close bond between what Teachers are teaching and the reverence given to their hard work and how that hard work effects society.
In our society, the Teachers are not recognized publicly throughout the United States. There may be a few Teachers that may be recognized for their efforts, but EVERY SINGLE TEACHER needs to be recognized for their life of diligence and love for all that they are doing to develop a positive and proactive society.
In the United States, Teachers are not given the recognition they deserve for all the caring and support they give to our society. Teachers give from their hearts until it hurts. Without well-deserved respect, Teachers burn out. Any human being would, when they don't make enough money to survive well, and they are disrespected for all that they know, do, and say to support the children and families in their care for years at a time. This is shameful!
If our government, that is formed by the people, for the people, doesn't give due respect to the Teachers of the children and our future society, then the rest of society doesn't feel any responsibility to give the respect either. With respect waining, people are dropping out of the field of Teaching. Where does that leave the future of our children and our nation? Who do we have to blame for all of this? Where does it start, and where will it end? What do we need to do to bring up the level of respect for what all Teachers of children do?
If we want to see pay and benefits increase, we need to help people realize why we deserve the pay and benefits increase. How do we do that? Most Teachers would say, "I am doing all I can, every day! But, no one realizes it." One thing Teachers don't do is blow their own horn. Principals and Directors should be posting Teacher accomplishments for all to see. This should include, but not be limited to the amount of training, special projects, their interests, or anything special their Teachers have done throughout the year and keep building on it every year for Each and EVERY TEACHER. It should be posted at the school or center, and put into the newsletters and on websites, along with articles sent to the media. All the volunteer time that Teachers put in, should be kept track of and posted as well. Teachers that are on committees should be recognized for their extra efforts to guide the school, or center. Schools should recognize and show appreciation for all the child care centers and family child care providers who take good care of the children before and after school, and who prepare the children before entering school. This also helps to build great community relationships. More respect and drive for improvement will be accomplished this way.
There are many other ways to recognize Teachers and Child Care Providers everywhere in our country. It should be made very public. Once the public realizes how much education, activities, and caring that Teachers are involved in, the more they will WANT to Pay Teachers for all that they do! The results will be even better Teaching and improved Learning by all!
We don't need to be told that we need to be more accountable for our students. We need to be recognized for all the responsility we take for making the children accountable for and enjoying learning. Recognition should be given to all Teachers and Child Care Providers for supporting the future of our society and the United States. The negatives need to be removed and positive motivators put in place to develop the respect and better living conditions that Teachers deserve.
Thank you for your time and all your efforts in this wonderful field of educating children of all ages.
Sincerely,
Teri
Posted by: Teri Stewart | February 02, 2007 at 12:45 AM
The comment made about the brainpower of certain professions being harder to find than the brainpower required to be a teacher is a ridiculous statement. There are people of varied intelligence involved in all of the careers listed above. In fact, I would argue that the type of brainpower necessary to be a computer analyst, for example, is quite easy to find. There is a generation of computer literate teenagers salivating for these types of jobs. This type of brainpower, in fact, has become very easy to find.
I am not a teacher, but I have worked alongside teachers in the classroom. I don't care what anyone says, this is a very hard job when it is done well. Managing 30 students who are largely disinterested in attending school in the first place is an uphill struggle. In other parts of the workforce, a person managing and training 30 people below him/her is ALWAYS making 6 figures. The fact that teachers manage children should qualify them to earn more, not less...as the job of training young people is much more difficult than training willing adults.
Bottom line: the less teachers are paid, the less high quality people with exceptional brainpower will be drawn to the field of education. The fact that teachers are paid less than those in the field of business, for example, is not justice, but a tragedy. Until we pay teachers the way we pay others in the workforce, we will not get the best and brightest to teach. The people training the next generation of computer analysts, professors, accountants, etc... SHOULD BE THE SMARTEST, BEST QUALIFIED PEOPLE ON THE PLANET, as they are the ones producing the next generation of Americans. If we pay them appropriately for this very challenging job, we will get the highest quality brains on the planet to pursue this noble profession, and the end result will be a generation of smarter, more prepared adults.
Posted by: Brett Hodus | February 09, 2007 at 01:10 PM
DJC wrote:
Full professors' salaries should not be directly compared to those of teachers. Neither should computer analysts. Those jobs, frankly, require brain power that is harder to find, and that is less necessary to say, be a good elementary teacher. A sensible elitist, not driven by emotion but by reason, can understand that teachers DO NOT deserve to make as much money as people in more demanding occupations. Sorry, but it's true
As an elementary school teacher, these types of ignorant attitudes have always been a source of personal turmoil for me.
You see, I have worked in what DJC would describe as "more demanding occupations" with great success, writing technical manuals for pharmaceutical companies, designing online professional training courses for computer companies and writing for any number of journals and trade publications.
Yet no position has ever been as mentally challenging or as physically taxing as teaching. From the moment I walk through the classroom door each day, I'm on---juggling the personal and academic needs of dozens of children who rely on me completely. With no significant breaks, I find myself exhausted at the end of every day, yet staring at piles of papers that need grading and preparations for the next day's lessons to be made.
Honestly, I often long for the days when I was working in private industry. I made more money, had more free time, and was rarely "held accountable" for anything.
What's more, I was treated with a measure of professional respect that I seldom experience today.
No wonder no one wants to teach.
Posted by: Bill Ferriter | February 18, 2007 at 07:13 PM
DJC wrote:
Full professors' salaries should not be directly compared to those of teachers. Neither should computer analysts. Those jobs, frankly, require brain power that is harder to find, and that is less necessary to say, be a good elementary teacher. A sensible elitist, not driven by emotion but by reason, can understand that teachers DO NOT deserve to make as much money as people in more demanding occupations. Sorry, but it's true
As an elementary school teacher, these types of ignorant attitudes have always been a source of personal turmoil for me.
You see, I have worked in what DJC would describe as "more demanding occupations" with great success, writing technical manuals for pharmaceutical companies, designing online professional training courses for computer companies and writing for any number of journals and trade publications.
Yet no position has ever been as mentally challenging or as physically taxing as teaching. From the moment I walk through the classroom door each day, I'm on---juggling the personal and academic needs of dozens of children who rely on me completely. With no significant breaks, I find myself exhausted at the end of every day, yet staring at piles of papers that need grading and preparations for the next day's lessons to be made.
Honestly, I often long for the days when I was working in private industry. I made more money, had more free time, and was rarely "held accountable" for anything.
What's more, I was treated with a measure of professional respect that I seldom experience today.
No wonder no one wants to teach.
Posted by: Bill Ferriter | February 18, 2007 at 07:14 PM