Feature Story

May 24, 2007

Majority of Teachers Graduate in the Top of their Class

From Economic Policy Institute:

It has been argued recently that student performance lags because of poor teacher quality, and specifically because teachers are drawn from the bottom half of the ability distribution.

But the facts don't support this argument.

For example, data for new female teachers show that well over half of them come from the upper 40% of high school graduates.

Of all the new female teachers from the high school class of 1992, who had entered into teaching by 2000, almost a third (32%) came from the top fifth of high school test scores.

An additional 26% came from the next fifth, implying that almost 60% of the new recruits had scores in the top 40%.

With teacher salaries falling behind those in comparable occupations over the last decade and other professions including medicine and the legal profession luring away the best female college graduates, a competitive salary schedule for teachers should be a top priority.

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