New Study Says Teachers Aren't Underpaid

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This test is flawed and sefl-serving for a number of reasons. First, it relies heavily upon standardized testing which itself is flawed and inconsistent. The standardized test fails to take into consideration that many impaired children, who should be individually tested, are forced under the No Child Left Behind laws of full inclusion in General Education classes to take a test that has already been determined inappropriate.
The concept of "congitive ability" relies on skewed informaation not designed to measure a teachers capabilities, but a student test.
Secondly, there is no clear definition as to what public "non-sector" jobs are. Most understand what a teacher is and what they do, especially one that teacher rather than one who views from the sidelines.
Also, this test fails to differentiate urban from suburban schools and test scores. There is no doubt that children of affluence perform academically at a much higher level than the child in poverty.
Furthermore, there are concentrations of severe layoffs in many urban areas, in addition, significant staff turnover in "non-sector" teaching positions such as Charter Schools. Many of those teachers are merely in a holding tank until a better possibility comes along.
Finally, the cost of education today has more to do with the NCLB laws, non-funded mandates, inept leadership and reform casues that teachers.
This study is misleading and disappointing. There are many non-educators out there profiting on the backs of our children.

suemack of MI 4:09PM November 03, 2011

What these people are basically doing is scaring potentially great teachers out of the profession! How many college students who were considering going into teaching are now running for the hills because of these ignorant attacks on education as a profession? I am a teacher and I absolutely love my job. I will gladly put in 5-20 EXTRA hours per week with no additional compensation in order to be better at my job and to ensure my students get what they need to be successful. I hope these political bullies get the rude awakening they need and fast!

Courtney of MI 1:37PM November 03, 2011

Once again, thank you neocons. Our teachers are overpaid, but we need to continue to provide taxpayer paid subsidies to obscenely profitable oil companies.
Give me a break. This is just another attach on public education. I guess that the better educated somebody is, the less likely they will go along with blind obedience. Can't have that, now can we?

Gus West of CA 12:01PM November 03, 2011

The analysis of these numbers is fundamentally flawed... "People who switch from nonteaching jobs to teaching jobs see an 8.8 percent wage increase, while teachers who leave the profession see a 3.1 percent wage reduction."
What that ACTUALLY means is that you need to offer over an 8% wage increase to entice anyone to even consider switching to teaching and that experienced teachers will take a pay cut to get out when they've had enough of these types of attacks.
The comparitive skill-set mix is mind-boggling. Maybe this report was written by some technical-writers and editors, but that doesn't mean they would make good teachers.
If they want to do a more accurate comparison, they should be identifying the best teachers in the profession, their actual hours spent working (not just paid time), personal investments required and use that to account for what they are making. Oh, and don't forget that many of the best teachers had to spend even MORE money to get a Masters Degree in their profession!!! How common is that among the average technical writer?

Michael Flood of GA 9:08AM November 03, 2011

Architects, technical writers, and editors? Since when do they have "similar skill requirements"?
Why doesn't the report mention that these positions are a direct reflection of private companies who are cost cutting by eliminating employees while the top of the food chain is largely unaffected?

Jeff Stanton of MI 8:04AM November 03, 2011

Wow. What value is a child's education? Can you place a dollar sign next to a child and say, "That is how much their education is worth to our nation." It is a common fact among college students aspiring to become teachers that we say to one another, "teaching will be my first job, not sure what my second job will be yet, but I'm bound to have one."
Sure, the hours sound great, all of the major holidays, and not to mention you'll never have to work on weekends... That is, unless you're so passionate and dedicated, like most teachers are, that you spend countless hours preparing for the next days lesson, correcting tests and papers, and spending hundreds of your own dollars to make those students' experience in school as excellent as possible.
The next study they should do would be how many hours the average teacher spends outside of the normal school day doing work-related activity and add it on to the amount of hours they work in a year. Then take their salary and subtract all of the money they invest back into their classroom (usually on essentials like paper and pencils, not extra, unnecessary materials). Now divide that salary over the number of hours and see how much the average teacher is REALLY making per hour. Compare that to the "market average" and then, look a hardworking, exhausted teacher (who works another job all summer) in the face and tell them "You're overpaid." ( http://the-history-teacher.blogspot.com/ )

Mat of MA 9:54PM November 02, 2011

What is the deal with conservatives constant attack on education? Here we have two imminently biased organizations using voodoo math to suggest teachers are paid too much. Wisconsin spent the better part of the year vilifying teachers. My esteemed governor, Rick Scott, wants to do away with tenured professorships and liberal arts degrees. Ass I am writing this, it comes to me. The more they can accelerate our collective stupidity, the easier to foist their self-serving views on the electorate.

T Ganski of FL 11:26AM November 02, 2011