A Need for Quality Teachers
The Problem with Getting Top Students to Teach
Teachers play a vital role in society. They provide children with an education and prepare them to become productive members of the larger community. Unfortunately, many high-achieving high school and college students never consider becoming educators. This is due to a number of stereotypes associated with the profession, as well as the disproportionate salaries teachers receive.
Quality Teachers
Many people are concerned that schools are not staffed by quality teachers. As Katherine C. Boles writes in her work, Who’s Teaching Your Children? [Yale University Press, 2004], “The number of good classroom teachers, and therefore the quality of teaching itself, is in perilous decline and will continue to worsen.” What is the reason for this? It seems teacher education programs have a hard time attracting high-achieving students.
According to the Hoover Institution [Hoover.org, Policy Review, 2004], students preparing for teacher certification have lower SAT scores than their counterparts in other college/university programs. The Institute also cites low-standards on teacher prep exams as a factor leading to under-qualified individuals entering classrooms.
Teacher Work Ethic
One stereotype that deters highly motivated, academically inclined students from becoming teachers is the idea that teachers have “easy” jobs. However, the idea that teachers only work 9 months a year and have 6 or 7 hour workdays is actually a fallacy. Teachers usually spend time not in school grading papers, preparing lessons, and attending professional development training. A survey by the National Education Association (NEA) showed most teachers spend an extra 12 hours each week preparing outside the classroom. This brings the average workweek for teachers to 50 hours.
Teacher Salaries
It seems many people, including the NEA, believe improving teacher salaries is the key to attracting better-qualified individuals to the profession. According to the NEA, the average starting salary for an educator in a public school is $30,377 [NEA.org, "Myths & Facts About Teacher Pay"] . Meanwhile, graduates entering computer, business, or nursing fields (which have comparable societal impact) make upwards of $40,000 per year at the entry level. Additionally, the NEA study also found that the gap between teachers and other professionals grows over time. Even with greater experience, teachers do not get the same salary increases as those in other fields.
In the teaching profession, salaries are also generated on a set scale. There is little reward for being an exceptional teacher. Instead, teachers are paid based upon degrees attained and years in the classroom. Unfortunately, due to tenure procedures, this means an average teacher and an exceptional teacher will receive the same income. Motivated individuals who want to be recognized for their efforts thus stay away from teaching.
Changing the System
One of the most popular theories on how to improve teacher quality is offering merit pay. This means giving teachers drastically improved salaries. In return, teachers would no longer be protected by tenure. This would allow districts to spend money on the best teachers while removing those who are under-performing.
In Washington, DC, public school administrators are working to implement a merit pay system. There, mid-level teachers would have the potential for making more than $100,000 annually. However, they would not receive tenure. Thus far, the local teachers’ union there has refused this proposal. Soon, though, this may change as DC Schools Chancellor, Michelle Rhee, pushes for changes.
Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers
Across the country, teacher education programs are becoming more rigorous at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Colleges and universities realize that preparing top students to become teachers is important, and are holding their students to higher standards. For example, at The College of New Jersey, one of the nation’s oldest teaching colleges, future educators are required to pursue a second Bachelor’s degree outside the teaching field. Thus, students must complete a rigorous dual-degree program before they gain certification.
What it all Means
The push to get better teachers in the classroom will inevitably continue. As more and more organizations push for changes, it is possible that the entire career field could be redefined. If unions and districts agree to offer higher pay without tenure, many seasoned teachers may lose their jobs (as is already happening in Washington, DC). At the same time, higher salaries and increased prestige could attract top high school and college students to teacher training programs. As these programs become more vigorous, less-qualified candidates may be weeded out from the system before ever seeing the classroom. Whether all these changes will add up to improved learning for children, though, remains to be seen.
The Country Needs Quality Teachers
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