Teachers should be praised, not vilified
(NEWSER) - Right-wing propaganda aside, America's teachers are underpaid and need to make more if the United States is to compete internationally, writes Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times . "We should be elevating teachers, not throwing darts at them," he says. In 1970, a starting public school teacher earned just $2,000 less than a starting lawyer at a good law firm—today, that gap is more like $115,000, according to a study by McKinsey (notably, a firm comprised of highly paid people who are not teachers). Citing another study, Kristof says that good teachers make a real economic impact on society—kindergarten teachers in the top 15% of their profession can add $400,000 to the lifetime earnings of a class of 20, while teachers in the top 7% add $640,000. More»
