Adam Ford
F L I N T O I D
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http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070205/OPINION01/702050313/1008
High teacher pay doesn't guarantee results
H igh teacher salaries are important, but they aren't enough to ensure a high-quality education. This was made clear once again when a study last week found that Metro Detroit teachers lead the nation in hourly pay -- even though they don't produce the country's best students.
The Manhattan Institute study found that Metro Detroit teachers lead the country's instructors in metropolitan areas in hourly pay at $47.28. Grand Rapids finished in the national Top 10 at almost $43.
Teacher pay nationally tended to exceed the hourly pay of many other white-collar professions. The study's authors, Jay Greene and Marcus Winters, concluded that the comparatively high pay for teachers didn't result in high student achievement.
Teacher unions countered by arguing that annual salary data is a more accurate barometer, since teachers don't work for almost a quarter of the year.
But that time off still is an in-kind benefit that teachers can use for vacation, pursuing more education or putting more dollars in their pocket through another job.
Even if you concede that point to the teacher unions, Michigan and Metro Detroit teachers still make good pay.
Michigan teacher salaries for decades have been in the top five in the country. This is true in the last teacher pay surveys done by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.
No one begrudges teachers high pay -- if they deliver comparatively high academic achievement. Michigan fails this test. The state's college-bound students score near the national average on the ACT. And the state routinely finishes at the national average or below it on many other academic measures. |
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Adam Ford
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