Teacher compensation is a powerful tool to strengthen teacher quality. When states and districts invest in competitive, strategic pay systems, they can attract effective teachers, keep them in the classroom, and solve staffing challenges—fostering stronger learning environments.
Teaching Shouldn’t Require a Vow of Poverty
Compensation is a crucial lever to attract high-quality teachers to the profession—and keep them there. In today’s competitive job market, teachers shouldn’t earn significantly less than other college-educated professionals because they chose to dedicate their careers to teaching.
Smart compensation systems can help states, districts, and schools solve challenges. Strategic pay structures can attract strong teachers to high-need schools1 and shortage areas2 while rewarding excellence3 and growth in the classroom. Compensation becomes a powerful tool for getting the right teachers into the right classrooms when used effectively.
States and districts nationwide are already proving that innovative compensation systems work. You can replicate their success in your state or district by designing smart pay systems that strengthen teacher recruitment, improve retention, and boost student outcomes.
Latest Findings
State of the States: Teacher Compensation Strategies
How can states strategically use teacher pay to attract and keep great teachers?
Explore which states support differentiated pay for hard-to-staff positions, reward high-performing teachers, and value prior work experience.
Reimagining the Teaching Role: How Strategic Staffing Can Attract and Retain Effective Teachers
Districts are reimagining teaching through innovative staffing models that offer leadership roles and higher pay for exceptional teachers. Explore our analysis of state policies that enable district innovation, learn from successful cases, and get guidance on implementing strategic staffing in your district.
Scrambling to hire teachers doesn’t have to be a recurring rat race
July 27, 2023
Heather Peske
Endnotes
Morgan, A. J., Nguyen, M., Hanushek, E. A., Ost, B., & Rivkin, S. G. (2023). Attracting and retaining highly effective educators in hard-to-staff schools (No. w31051). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Theobald, R., Xu, Z., Gilmour, A., Lachlan-Hache, L., Bettini, E., & Jones, N. (2023). The Impact of a $10,000 Bonus on Special Education Teacher Shortages in Hawai‘i. CALDER Working Paper 290-0823.
Cowan, J., & Goldhaber, D. (2018). Do bonuses affect teacher staffing and student achievement in high poverty schools? Evidence from an incentive for national board certified teachers in Washington State. Economics of Education Review, 65, 138-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.06.010.
