69´«Ă˝

Salaries & Benefits

Education news, analysis, and opinion about pay and benefits for school and district employees

Explainer

Teacher Pay: How Salaries, Pensions, and Benefits Work in 69´«Ă˝
An Education Week primer on teacher salaries, raises, performance pay, pensions, Social Security benefits, and health-care premiums.
A teacher leads a lesson in an eighth-grade Spanish class.
A teacher leads a lesson in an eighth-grade Spanish class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession Video Will the New Law on Teacher Retirement Benefits Affect You? Here’s How to Know
The Social Security Fairness Act has significant implications for educators who live in these 15 states.
Mark Lieberman & Lauren Santucci, January 16, 2025
3:19
Image of a calendar with a calendar date marked as "Day Off!"
Canva
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Teachers and Administrators at Odds Over Extra Job Duties
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
Alex Harwin, January 13, 2025
4 min read
A female leader attracts people with a magnet.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says What 4 New Studies Say About How Districts Can Attract—and Retain—Teachers
New insights on teachers' starting salaries, working conditions, and contract work can help leaders better hire and retain teachers.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 10, 2025
5 min read
President Joe Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Teaching Profession Thousands of Teachers Will Get a Retirement Boost. Here's How It Works
School workers in states where districts don't participate in Social Security are poised to see bigger monthly checks.
Mark Lieberman, January 6, 2025
6 min read
Photo of Social Security benefits form.
iStock
Teaching Profession Many Educators Across America Are on the Verge of a Retirement Benefits Boost
A bill removing restrictions on Social Security benefits for some teachers is headed to Biden's desk.
Mark Lieberman, December 23, 2024
7 min read
Closeup shot of an unrecognisable woman blowing her nose while working from home
Charday Penn/E+
Teaching Profession 'An Overwhelming Feeling of Guilt': Why Teachers Don't Take Sick Leave
A list of reasons why teachers say working while sick is easier than staying home.
Marina Whiteleather, November 26, 2024
2 min read
Vector illustration of a woman turning a piggy bank upside down with nothing but a few coins and flies falling out of it.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Data What Teacher Pay and Benefits Look Like, in Charts
A third of teachers report inadequate pay, and Black teachers are the likeliest to do extra unpaid work.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 20, 2024
4 min read
Image of a calendar with a calendar date marked as "Day Off!"
Canva
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Why Teachers Likely Take So Few Days Off
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
Alex Harwin, November 19, 2024
3 min read
Image of a clock, calendar, and a pencil.
Tatomm/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Districts Won’t Owe Extra Overtime Costs After Court Nixes Federal Rule
The incoming Trump administration is not likely to appeal the decision.
Evie Blad, November 18, 2024
2 min read
Final Piece Of The Puzzle. Two people about to shake hands over trading a jigsaw puzzle piece needed for the solution.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Teacher Contracts Need to Change. And It’s Not Just About Money
If we want to retain effective teaches, we should increase teacher compensation—but we need to do it strategically.
Karen Hawley Miles & David Rosenberg, October 28, 2024
4 min read
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27, 2018. New research suggests U.S. teacher strikes have been effective at increasing wages.
Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Do Teacher Strikes Increase Pay?
New research finds the majority of teacher strikes in the last decade did boost wages and benefits.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 30, 2024
4 min read
Montage of news photos highlight protestors of school choice, a bible on a classroom desk, the U.S. Capitol building and protestors of CRT
Getty + AP
Policy & Politics Explainer Education Debates You'll Likely Hear About in the Election, Explained
Brush up on key education policy issues that could show up in national, state, and local races.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 26, 2024
4 min read
Preschool teacher with kids sitting nearby while she reads a book.
iStock/Getty
Early Childhood Head Start Teachers Will Earn More—But Programs Might Have to Serve Fewer Kids
A new federal rule will raise wages for Head Start employees—but providers won't get any additional funding.
Mark Lieberman, August 22, 2024
7 min read
Illustration of dollar being used to fill gap in bridge.
DigitalVision Vectors
States Some School Workers Now Get Unemployment Over the Summer. Here's How It Works
Districts are scrambling as some states now allow non-instructional school employees to collect summer unemployment checks.
Mark Lieberman, August 13, 2024
9 min read