On her August 12, 2010 Yahoo Finance column, Lynn O'Shaughnessy lists the "20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010" one day after Slate's Ray Fisman wondered, " Is firing (a lot of) teachers the only way to improve public schools? " What is interesting about the two columns is that both show how that American teachers are undervalued, while the comments for both columns show that people recognize that teacher pay does not align with the work expected from the profession.
20 Worst Paying College Degrees in 2010
According to O'Shaughnessy, "If you'd rather end up with one of the best-paying college degrees, you'll have to major in something that requires a lot of math classes." One would hope that math is part of an education degree, particularly for math teachers, but education is listed three times:
- Elementary education is second on the list.
- Special education is tenth on the list.
- Education is fourteenth on the list.
The range for all of the jobs is based on averages, but the starting pay for any of the education college degrees listed was $31,000 to $36,000, and the mid-career salary range was $44,000 to $55000. This might explain why so many teachers get graduate degrees in education, although in "Clean Out Your Desk," Ray Fisman suggests that in terms of helping teachers become great, "a master's degree in education [helps] not at all." (Slate, August 11, 2010.)
Will Firing Teachers Improve Education?
Those graduates with education degrees have more than just poverty to worry about; the jobs they get may not be secure if current research is true. According to Fisman, "a thick stack of pink slips are needed to improve schools." Ineffective teachers hurt schools, and the Staiger study that Fisman refers to seems to conclude that there are a lot of ineffective teachers.
In "Searching for Effective Teachers with Imperfect Information," researcher Douglas O. Staiger says that schools should hire "only the most effective teachers, and do it quickly." Staiger admits that this strategy may have some "practical limitations." Schools are really faced with a choice: hire effective teachers, or help the enthusiastic education graduates who are willing to work in a low paying field become more effective teachers.
Reactions to O'Shaughnessy and Fisman's Articles
Readers of the Yahoo Finance and Slate columns responded strongly to the ideas presented in the articles, and many were defensive of teachers. Yahoo user Fran had one of the highest rated answers when she noted, " There is something intangible missing from this equation. " Her statement could apply to both articles. Education, a career field that touches so many, is surprisingly low paying, and that doesn't make sense to a lot of people who see how teachers impact children. That 80% of people would choose a career in which they were ineffective also doesn't make sense, and there is something intangible missing from the equation of what makes a good teacher.
In Slate's reader reaction section, Tim Duenkel asked, "Who would want to go into a profession where only 20% of the people get to keep their jobs after a couple years?" Of course, the field of people who would choose to enter such a threatened career track would not be helped by the low pay that O'Shaughnessy listed. Slate reader Chad Ervin pointed out, "These people make 20-30k per year, that is why it is easy to blame them." His numbers are a lower than what O'Shaughnessy found, but his statement brings up an interesting question about how teacher pay connects with teacher accountability.
Lynn O'Shaughnessy is summarizing economic research, and Ray Fisman is expanding on education research. Neither author suggested that teachers should be at the bottom of the pay scale, and it is noteworthy that although many readers commented about specific problems they had in education, there is a lot of people who respect teachers and value a career that is inspired by passion, not pay.
Sources:
"20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010" by Lynn O'Shaughnessy was published by Yahoo! Finance on August 12, 2010. Reader comments responding to the article were accessed August 12, 2010, in the comment section directly under the Yahoo article.
"Clean Out Your Desk: Will Firing Teachers Improve Education" by Ray Fisman was published by Slate on August 11, 2010. Reader comments responding to the article were accessed August 12, 2010, in the comment section directly under the Slate article.
"Searching for Effective Teachers with Imperfect Information" by Douglas O. Staiger was presented at Dartmoth College on May 6, 2010. The Point Point used in the presentation was accessed on August 12, 2010. The quotation comes from slide 12 in the presentation.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
