The teacher cost of living article raised some interesting thoughts regarding the pay of educators. Pay is normally compared against a national average; however, cost of living is often not brought into the discussion when considering how well teachers are truly paid. Cost of living truly seems to make a difference when comparing teacher pay.
Initially, teachers in large urban areas (New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hartford) appeared to be compensated at the highest rates. However, when cost of living adjustments were made, their ranks fell from 1-5 to 25, 49, 13, 48, and 20, respectively. Conversely, a number of cities in the Southeast moved up in the rankings. These include: Memphis (26 to 5), Louisville (22 to 8), Atlanta (18 to 10), Augusta (36 to 19), Huntsville (37 to 22), and Birmingham (30 to 23). Nashville was not included in the study.
The information provided is the average of teacher salaries, which seems to be based on averaging the entry level and 20-year level salaries. I came to this realization as I was reviewing the pay scale for Memphis City Schools, which was included on their list of schools in the article. In the article, the unadjusted average salary reported for Memphis is $45,108. According to the MSC website, new teachers with a Bachelor’s degree are paid $39,467 while teachers with the same degree and 20 years experience are paid $55,476. I pulled the data for Memphis City Schools, though it was not clear whether the article was using information for the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, Memphis City Schools, or Shelby County Schools.
I think it is also important to consider tenure as well. It might be interesting to know what the “real” average salary is for the school system. This would depend on the whether the system has a higher concentration of new or tenured teachers. This could tell a lot about the school system or may raise a lot of questions. For example, if a system has a low percentage of tenured teachers, did the system have a number of teachers retire or are there other issues causing teachers to leave the system.
Another interesting perspective would be to learn more about student achievement and how it correlates to teacher pay. Do school systems with higher overall salaries (real and adjusted) have higher achievement rates? To better understand the communities in which the teachers work, it might also be valuable to consider how teacher salaries compare to the salaries of other jobs within that same city.
When I conduct professional development trainings for educators who will be teaching the new personal finance course, cost of living is one of the topics that we discuss. One of the personal finance standards is “income” and related performance indicators are “interpret factors affecting income” and “career choices and potential income.” I find it encouraging that this course provides the opportunity to cover cost of living and how it will impact the future career choices of students based on where they reside. I think it is important that no matter what the profession, students understand their potential for income, but also where they must go to have that job, what type of training is required, what the related costs of such training will cost them, and what the future potential is for such a career. Helping our students be better armed with information to make these decisions will help them in making better overall decisions and analysis in a number of areas.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Blog #4 - Multiculturalism and the Curriculum
Based on the influence that corporate America has had on educational institutions, it is no surprise that schools are now struggling with the concept of multiculturalism. Corporate organizations have been working to define how diversity fits into the overall scheme of the organizations. Articles that I read about corporate diversity almost mirror the issues being faced by schools related to multiculturalism. For example, an article from the Ethnic Majority website (2009) suggests that there continues to be a “gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’” and progress remains slow toward diversity. Both of these corporate issues are often faced by schools regarding the multiculturalism.
I appreciate the comparisons made by Hirsch in the centrist curriculum article of the two types of multiculturalism (cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism). In my mind, I had never broken down multiculturalism and diversity in these distinctly different approaches. Cosmopolitanism focuses on the various traits that make up an individual’s person while ethnocentrism identifies ethnicity as the essence of the person.
The focus on ethnicity related to the protests and immigration issues in the new immigration article were similar to the ethnocentrism , or ethnic loyalism, identified in the centrist curriculum article. Both focus on the ethnicity as defining the person rather than the other beliefs and views that are part of the person’s identity. It appears to me that often, diversity seems to be an attempt for individuals to cling onto a trait that makes them unique from others and united with a specific group. This particular trait more than some others, such as political beliefs or religion, is the first identifier used to suggest an individual’s “belonging,” which is a point also made in the centrist curriculum article.
Though I am not in the classroom, I work in education on a daily basis. One way that I have observed social and political control is through designated observances of specific days or months related to diversity. Most schools observe Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as well as Black History Month. Both of these instances are opportunities to learn more about the history and role of African-Americans in the United States. Additionally, some elementary schools recognize the contributions of Native Americans during Thanksgiving through primitive reenactments of the first Thanksgiving, which depending on the educator and school, may provide some insights into the plight of the Native American as a result of the arrival of the colonists. However, this likely does not lead to a discussion on the treatment of Native Americans by the white man during the Trail of Tears and other tragic events. Finally, some schools may also conduct an observance of Cinco de Mayo since it has become a more widely recognized Mexican holiday. These efforts at multiculturalism seem to be lackluster attempts by schools to adapt to a changing social climate and are more focused on the ethnocentric approach to multiculturalism. In the multiculturalism in school curriculum article, Waxler conveys that these sorts of observations run counter to the purpose of real multiculturalism.
I am a proponent for the suggestions made by Waxler in having a traditional curriculum that integrates diversity into the teaching of particular units. This seems to be a way to maintain a common history for our country, but at the same time recognizing the struggles and contributions made by the various ethnic and social groups. I particularly like the Core Knowledge Sequences in Hirsch’s centrist curriculum article. This approach provides a foundation that will allow students to learn about various ethnic groups and gain a sense of humanity through multicultural awareness.
References:
Ethnic Majority (2009). Corporate culture and diversity. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from http://www.ethnicmajority.com/corporate_diversity.htm.
I appreciate the comparisons made by Hirsch in the centrist curriculum article of the two types of multiculturalism (cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism). In my mind, I had never broken down multiculturalism and diversity in these distinctly different approaches. Cosmopolitanism focuses on the various traits that make up an individual’s person while ethnocentrism identifies ethnicity as the essence of the person.
The focus on ethnicity related to the protests and immigration issues in the new immigration article were similar to the ethnocentrism , or ethnic loyalism, identified in the centrist curriculum article. Both focus on the ethnicity as defining the person rather than the other beliefs and views that are part of the person’s identity. It appears to me that often, diversity seems to be an attempt for individuals to cling onto a trait that makes them unique from others and united with a specific group. This particular trait more than some others, such as political beliefs or religion, is the first identifier used to suggest an individual’s “belonging,” which is a point also made in the centrist curriculum article.
Though I am not in the classroom, I work in education on a daily basis. One way that I have observed social and political control is through designated observances of specific days or months related to diversity. Most schools observe Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as well as Black History Month. Both of these instances are opportunities to learn more about the history and role of African-Americans in the United States. Additionally, some elementary schools recognize the contributions of Native Americans during Thanksgiving through primitive reenactments of the first Thanksgiving, which depending on the educator and school, may provide some insights into the plight of the Native American as a result of the arrival of the colonists. However, this likely does not lead to a discussion on the treatment of Native Americans by the white man during the Trail of Tears and other tragic events. Finally, some schools may also conduct an observance of Cinco de Mayo since it has become a more widely recognized Mexican holiday. These efforts at multiculturalism seem to be lackluster attempts by schools to adapt to a changing social climate and are more focused on the ethnocentric approach to multiculturalism. In the multiculturalism in school curriculum article, Waxler conveys that these sorts of observations run counter to the purpose of real multiculturalism.
I am a proponent for the suggestions made by Waxler in having a traditional curriculum that integrates diversity into the teaching of particular units. This seems to be a way to maintain a common history for our country, but at the same time recognizing the struggles and contributions made by the various ethnic and social groups. I particularly like the Core Knowledge Sequences in Hirsch’s centrist curriculum article. This approach provides a foundation that will allow students to learn about various ethnic groups and gain a sense of humanity through multicultural awareness.
References:
Ethnic Majority (2009). Corporate culture and diversity. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from http://www.ethnicmajority.com/corporate_diversity.htm.
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