Is Money the Best Teacher?

The New York Times ran an interesting article yesterday about a new charter school which will open in Manhattan in 2009 with starting salaries for teachers in the range of $125,000. Wow.

The founder of the school is betting that money will do the trick.

He’ll add bonuses for those who produce results. He expects to recruit the “best and brightest” teachers. The school will have few administrators, only two social workers and a core curriculum with no frills.

To earn these big bucks, teachers will carry a heavy instructional load with class sizes at 30 students. They’ll have clerical and disciplinary responsibilities. It should be noted that this will be a middle school. Hmm.

This is a brave step forward in terms of remuneration and compensation. However, I’m personally doubtful if super salaries are the answer to raising the quality of education provided at a school. Here’s what I’ve experienced and what you often find in good international schools:

Teachers do need to be compensated as aggressively as the market will bear.

New or experienced, teachers need sustained professional development.

New or experienced, teachers will tell you that size does matter: the number of students in a class ideally should not exceed 22

Supportive and cooperative parents play a big role in the success formula

Technology will help – not hinder – the learning process but teachers need to know how to engage 21st century practices using the big T.

Educational leadership plays a key role in creating a positive learning environment in any school.

Good luck to this new enterprise and the teachers who will work there. They’ll deserve every dollar they earn. Interestingly, as of this morning there were 375 comments on the article. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the subject of education.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/nyregion/07charter.html