2020’s Best & Worst States for Teachers – WalletHub Study

Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day, and this year’s theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by already over-extended education systems throughout the world.

National Educators Association in a nationwide poll found that 28 percent said the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more likely to retire early or leave the profession, a rate that could far worsen the U.S.’s shortage of qualified teachers.

Several states have seen surges in educators filing for retirement or taking leaves of absence. Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the start of the new school year. It’s unclear how many teachers in the U.S. have become ill with COVID-19, but Mississippi alone reported 604 cases among teachers and staff.

With World Teachers’ Day around the corner and teachers having to implement social distancing or online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best & Worst States for Teachers.

In order to help educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments in the U.S., they analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to whether the state has a digital learning plan.

Best vs. Worst

• Wyoming has the highest annual average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $43,873, which is 1.5 times higher than in Maine, the state with the lowest at $29,835.
• Michigan has the highest average annual salary for public-school teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $66,428, which is 1.5 times higher than in Maine, the state with the lowest at $45,433.
• Nevada has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2028 (indicating the size of competition), 7, which is 14 times lower than in the District of Columbia, which has the highest at 98.
• Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, 10.50, which is 2.2 times lower than in Arizona, the state with the highest at 23.53.
• New York has the highest public-school spending per student, $25,344, which is 3.4 times higher than in Idaho, the state with the lowest at $7,475.

WalletHub Q & A

How can local officials attract and retain the best teachers?

“There are many strategies and practices local policy agents can espouse to better recruit and retain qualified teachers,” said Luis A. Rodriguez, PhD, New York University. “Firstly, districts can increase teacher salaries in schools and communities where they are not competitive by raising salary minimum and integrating compensation differentials based on teacher qualifications, teacher performance, and teachers taking on additional leadership responsibilities within their school. Coupled with the issue of under-compensation is that the teaching profession is competing with more lucrative fields, which can also be addressed by the development of loan forgiveness programs for teachers. Secondly, districts can employ strategies to target recruitment of local teaching candidates by developing Grow Your Own programs and teaching residencies in partnership with local higher education institutions. Finally, to address the issue of working conditions and lack of administrative support, districts can invest in mentorship programs and other supports for new teachers as well as high-quality principal preparation programs and professional development opportunities to enhance school leadership.”

“There are clear things school districts can do to recruit high-quality teachers, including strategic recruitment and advertising efforts, partnerships with local teacher preparation programs, and hiring bonuses,” said Christopher Redding, PhD, University of Florida, College of Education. “To reduce teacher shortages, however, promoting teacher retention is perhaps even more important. A growing research consensus suggests that positive working conditions are the most important factor in shaping teacher retention. Teachers have a strong preference for working in safe and orderly learning environments with high levels of teacher collegiality and collaboration. That school-level conditions matter so much for whether a teacher decides to stay or leave their current school points to the critical role that school administrators play in promoting a positive working environment. In addition to school conditions, targeted retention bonuses can also help to keep talented teachers or teachers in hard-to-staff subjects.”

Are unions beneficial to teachers? What about to students?

“I am a strong union man, although I recognize some of their drawbacks,” said Alan J. Singer, PhD, Hofstra University. “In the mid-1970s, New York City went bankrupt and laid-off over 5,000 teachers. City officials tried to squeeze dozens of extra students into every classroom with students sitting on radiators and the floor. The only things that stopped it was the teachers’ union and the teachers’ contract which set maximum class sizes. I always experimented with curriculum approaches and the union-backed my right to make these decisions. It also protects my freedom of speech as a citizen outside of school and kept me in the profession because I earned a living wage with good health, drug, and dental benefits for my family. Unions have to protect all of their members and defend the due process. The same things that protected me, protected people I disagreed with about teaching, but that my rights depended on theirs. The short answer is that because unions are beneficial to teachers, they are beneficial to their students as well.”

“Unions can be beneficial to teachers and students when they act responsibly,” said Kmt G. Shockley, PhD, Howard University School of Education. “Unions can provide protection to teachers who are doing a good job but have found themselves in a difficult situation. Unions can also help teachers negotiate a better salary and the ability to stay home during a crisis such as COVID.”

“Yes, student achievement is higher in states with unions as is teacher pay and protections from political attacks,” said Christopher H. Tienken, Ed.D., College of Education and Human Services, Department of Education Leadership, Management, and Policy.

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159/