As Teacher Pay Lags, Attrition and Class Size Grow

It always amazes me that anyone wants to major in education and teach school. In a recent article in The Texas Tribune, Morgan Smith reminds readers that Texas is a state of contrasts. Despite the fact that Texas lags behind in its teaching salaries, it surprisingly seems to have advanced in its scores on standardized tests. These poor teachers not only have increased numbers of students in their classrooms, but are making $8,000 below the national average and are expected to teach courses they are not necessarily prepared to teach.  Those of us who are already in universities and colleges may not have to experience directly some of the adverse effects of teacher attrition and increased class sizes, but it does affect the future for all of those in Texas. These teachers are forced to get other jobs; they are having to spend their own money for supplies, and rarely compensated. It would behoove all of us to read this article because it affects all of us and the generation that is coming right behind us.