Analysis Probes the Shape of the Teacher-Salary Schedule
More school districts than previously thought are giving salary increases early on in a teacher's career, rather than the traditional "back-loaded" model, according to a new analysis of federal data published in Educational Policy.
The analysis adds to a generally thin and understudied research base on this aspect of teacher compensation, and its authors hope it will awaken additional interest in studying how the schedules impact the workforce and student achievement.
Teacher salary schedules, in general, reward teachers for longevity and for earning advanced credentials. Earlier studies of salary schedules in New York and North Carolina found heavily back-loaded salary schedules, meaning they tended to concentrate raises among veteran teachers, rather than those just beginning their careers.
A few years back, there was a brief period of policy interest in turning this pattern on its head, by "front-loading" salary schedules. Proponents argued it would better align compensation to