TACKLING THE CHALLENGE OF RAISING TEACHER PAY, STATE BY STATE

During former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's time in office, his department asked states to propose solutions to inequity in a State Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators (otherwise known as an equity plan). The Teacher Salary Project paid close attention. Knowing how critical capable and stable teachers are, TSP followed which approaches that states are suggesting to address one essential component of their teacher recruitment and retention policy: teacher pay.

​In this brief, the Teacher Salary Project found that although most states identify compensation as a key factor, few offer specific strategies to address the issue. The goal of this brief is to draw attention to a theme in the states' assessments: low teacher pay hampers their ability to attract and retain teachers. As states draft concrete equity plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Teacher Salary Project wants to ensure that states will meaningfully address the teacher pay gaps that too often keep talented teachers from working in our neediest and hardest-to-staff subjects.
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​To find out how your state plans to address the issue of raising teacher pay, head to our Resource Center to read and download the brief.