Teacher Pay Fails To Affect Scores, Report Says
Student test scores are not better in cities where teachers are paid more than other white-collar workers, a report released today says.
A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Jay Green, who co-wrote the study, said the findings don't contradict arguments in support of merit pay for teachers, a system that financially rewards teachers whose students perform better on standardized tests.
The study, which used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2005, showed only that simply paying teachers more makes no difference, he said.
After comparing wages for teachers with other workers in 66 cities, researchers also found that teachers often make significantly more than workers in other professions, including public relations specialists, reporters, and economists.
"I think we have a popular fantasy that teachers are paid like fast food workers, but when we look at the evidence they're paid better than most other white-collar workers," Mr. Green said.
