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Every time this topic comes up on HN I see a lot of comments along the lines of "Don't try to fix the problem; just move kids to private schools", an incredibly

Every time this topic comes up on HN I see a lot of comments along the lines of "Don't try to fix the problem; just move kids to private schools", an incredibly privileged, net harmful point of view... very sad to see. The reality is that teachers in America make horrific wages for a job that requires a degree, are treated like garbage, held to impossible standards, constantly subject to budget cuts, and then we wonder why America, the wealthiest country in the world, ranks 14th in education. It's not a mystery. Teachers deserve better.

zozbot234 5y ago
> Teachers deserve better. Some teachers deserve better, to be sure. The reality is that educational spending in the U.S. is quite high by developed-country standards. But the system still fails to reward the best teachers, and many teachers are quite simply not properly qualified for what they're supposed to teach. "Education" degrees are practically meaningless.
- etempleton 5y ago
  I agree that a mistake that has been made has been to force teachers to get graduate degrees and largely incentivize that they earn their master's degree in education. It would be more valuable if they received a master's or doctoral degree in literally anything else. The problem is that measuring the efficacy of a teacher is a dubious task. What would probably work the best is to incentivize teachers to get advanced degrees outside of the field of education by providing a substantial pay increase upon completion. Right now it is actually harder to get a degree in a field outside of education because in many districts you would need explicit permission from a supervisor to be reimbursed for a non-education degree versus an education degree that requires no permissions for reimbursement. An advanced degree does not make a great teacher, but it does provide some solid foundational knowledge.

zozbot234 5y ago

> Teachers deserve better. Some teachers deserve better, to be sure. The reality is that educational spending in the U.S. is quite high by developed-country standards. But the system still fails to reward the best teachers, and many teachers are quite simply not properly qualified for what they're supposed to teach. "Education" degrees are practically meaningless.

etempleton 5y ago
I agree that a mistake that has been made has been to force teachers to get graduate degrees and largely incentivize that they earn their master's degree in education. It would be more valuable if they received a master's or doctoral degree in literally anything else. The problem is that measuring the efficacy of a teacher is a dubious task. What would probably work the best is to incentivize teachers to get advanced degrees outside of the field of education by providing a substantial pay increase upon completion. Right now it is actually harder to get a degree in a field outside of education because in many districts you would need explicit permission from a supervisor to be reimbursed for a non-education degree versus an education degree that requires no permissions for reimbursement. An advanced degree does not make a great teacher, but it does provide some solid foundational knowledge.