As America’s schools continue to face mounting teacher shortages — particularly in low-income communities and crucial subject areas like special education — it’s encouraging to see long-needed legislation like the American Teacher Act and the Pay Teachers Act, which seek to raise the salaries of K-12 educators to at least $60,000.
Either bill would be a major step forward in addressing the worrying vacancies that threaten to widen opportunity gaps across the country. But something far greater than salary dissatisfaction or broken hiring pipelines is at play. Rather, it’s the culmination of complex and unresolved challenges that have faced educators for decades. To truly attract and retain the brightest to the career long term — and ensure that the most at-risk students receive the education they deserve — all aspects of the profession must be improved to meet the…
