DALLAS – Efforts to eliminate extra pay for teachers who earn advanced degrees are gaining momentum in a small but growing number of U.S. schools. The issue is stirring a national debate about how best to compensate quality educators and angering teachers who say the extra training is valuable.
More than half of the nation's teachers have master's degrees or higher, but the changing salary structure is giving pause to others considering the same path. Texas' two largest school districts, in Houston and Dallas, recently eliminated advanced degree pay going forward. And North Carolina lawmakers last year started phasing out the practice.
Those championing dropping the extra pay say advanced degrees don't necessarily translate into better student test scores. But some teachers say extra education gives them more tools in the classroom.
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