We spend a lot of time criticizing how ineffective our educational system is. Conservatives (and some liberals) want to privatize education through the use of vouchers, but recent evidence shows that voucher-based education doesn't differ much in the long run from public education. Numerous countries outperform the US in international competitions in science and math. The real difference seems to be the gap in the way the public perceives teaching as a profession. In other countries, especially those where students out perform US students, teaching is a highly respected--and highly paid--profession. This article in the NYT presents some data comparing the status and compensation in the US and some high achieving countries. Here's a key bit of information.
At the moment, the average teacher’s pay is on par with that of a toll taker or bartender. Teachers make 14 percent less than professionals in other occupations that require similar levels of education. In real terms, teachers’ salaries have declined for 30 years. The average starting salary is $39,000; the average ending salary — after 25 years in the profession — is $67,000. This prices teachers out of home ownership in 32 metropolitan areas, and makes raising a family on one salary near impossible.
But there are other parts of the US education system that provide some ideas regarding how we might improve our process. This article from the NYT talks about the differences between more successful and less successful teachers.
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