The missing rungs on career ladder for NC teachers

by Jon Herbert, NC Coalition of Students for Education Reform, published in News and Observer, August 4, 2014.

As my final year at UNC-Chapel Hill approaches, the impending question of post-graduation employment becomes more real. Teaching has always been an interest for me. In fact, I spent my last summer teaching seventh-graders in Birmingham City Schools. Many of these middle school students were reading at a fourth-grade level. It wasn’t the kids’ fault. They were hard-working and wanted to learn, but their public education had failed them.

It became incredibly clear how urgent it is that we attract top college graduates into the classroom. My students in Birmingham needed great teachers, and our students in North Carolina need them just as much. Unfortunately, the incentives just aren’t there. The paltry financial compensation – in North Carolina, historically, barely a living wage –and the unmotivating structure of teacher pay and support in public schools has made it difficult to commit to a long-term career as an educator.

Last week, however, legislators in Raleigh took a step toward addressing one of the barriers – compensation.

The reformed teacher salary schedule passed in the 2014 budget agreement represents an effort to make the teaching profession a viable and attractive career. Under the old salary schedule, I would have had to work 15 years as a teacher before my salary hit $40,000. The new plan front-loads pay raises earlier in a career so that new teachers will be rewarded at points when research tells us they are improving the most. Investing financially in new teachers who pursue professional development shows respect and appreciation for the work they are putting into their jobs.

However, it isn’t all about the money. We also need to keep raising regard for teachers and provide them clear career pathways to success. Our legislators missed a chance to lead the nation in retaining and recruiting teachers when they failed to fund the “Career Pathways” program from the House’s proposal. The policies we create communicate important messages to teachers. Giving a raise that is based solely on seniority says “thanks for showing up another year.” A raise for improving as an educator, honing one’s craft and achieving results says “thanks for being good at what you do.”

Teachers don’t teach because it is easy, and they surely don’t do it for the paycheck. Our teachers know that every student can and should succeed. This is what kept me going back every morning last year. I was motivated by those days when I felt I had failed my students. I went back the next day hungry for growth, and I was fortunate enough to be in an environment that let me take control over my own improvement. As I improved, I saw my kids do the same. Why not reward teachers who are hustling to get better?

I don’t want to be rewarded for just showing up. I want to be rewarded for improving as an educator, pursuing professional development and demonstrating student growth and college-readiness. I want to be held accountable to high standards, just like those I held my students to last summer. I want to be motivated by knowing I am doing work that matters – and that is appreciated.

As we applaud lawmakers for taking the first step, we also must push them to continue to reform the broken career ladder for educators.

A career in education doesn’t need to be a sacrifice. Let’s offer incentives for professional development that gives targeted feedback that includes student academic growth, principal and peer evaluations, and leadership in the school. Let’s create rigorous teacher evaluations that are not punitive but empowering and help teachers grow.

As many of us stand at the foot of the teaching career ladder and look up, we see missing rungs and absent opportunities. There is no clear way to achieve maximum impact for students and no clear career pathway to ascend.

This is the most urgent issue we face in our state. Our students deserve the best college graduates and professionals as their teachers. This budget agreement is a step in the right direction, but our students need more. To attract those graduates, we must continue to raise the regard for educators by creating a system with strong incentives, opportunities for growth and rewarded achievement. For the sake of North Carolina students, lawmakers must push forward next legislative session.

Jon Hebert is a member of the N.C. Coalition of Students for Education Reform.