The pay of teachers is lagging behind the pay of other college-educated professionals. At the beginning of their careers, teachers are paid nearly $8,000 less, and as much as nearly $24,000 less by the age of 50. The average shortfall is over $14,000, nationally and across all ages and levels of education. The greatest shortfall was for teachers between 44 and 50 with Master's degrees: they were paid $43,313 a year compared to $75,824 for other professionals. The gap worsened between 1994 and 1998, the salary of teachers with Master's degrees rising by only $200 while that of other professionals increased $17,505.

These figures explain why school districts have difficulty recruiting and retaining good teachers. As a result, some states allow teachers to be hired without passing basic skills tests and without passing tests in the subjects that they teach. The President of the National Educational Association stated that if schools were supposed to adopt efficient business practices, they should also recognize the relevance of supply and demand, implying that they should increase salaries.

(Updated March 1, 2000)