Show Me the Money

Back in January I wrote about how teachers are usually in the middle of the pack when it comes to their own academic achievements. I argued that if teacher salaries were significantly higher, the profession would attract brighter, higher-achieving students. Well, now we will have a test case. Zeke Vanderhoek is opening a charter school in New York City, and teacher salaries will begin at $125,000. Since many of the best people leave teaching for better-paying jobs, it will be interesting to see if the attrition rate slows down with the higher salaries. Vanderhoek put it best when he said, "...money, in our culture, is a signifier of how jobs are valued, and right now schools are telling teachers that they are not valued."