Washington—Teachers in the United States make on average less than 60% as much as other professionals
with similar levels of education, according to a report released Sept. 12 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The 2017 Education at a Glance report found that from 2005 to 2015, teachers’ salaries had fallen by an average of one-third after inflation in the nations for which it had data. While U.S. starting elementary-school teachers make about 35% more than the average among the 35 OECD nations, overall, teachers here average much less than similarly educated workers do: U.S. middle-school teachers make only 58% as much, the second lowest level in the OECD after the Czech Republic. U.S. middle-school teachers also spend almost 40% more time in the classroom than the OECD average, and average about 230 hours a year more working at school. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said the report “reconfirmed the shameful truth” that American teachers earn much less than other professionals, while working longer hours and teaching more children than those in other industrialized countries. Read more
