Debate: How to raise the status of teachers

States around the country are looking to trim their budgets, and public school teachers are feeling unfairly attacked. At the same time, the United States continues to fall behind other countries in student performance rankings.

An analysis of the most recent assessment of 74 education systems around the world offers some interesting points about how teaching is viewed in top-performing countries. The report, "What the U.S. Can Learn From the World's Most Successful Education Reform Efforts," found that in high-scoring countries like Finland, Japan, The Netherlands, Canada and South Korea, teachers have higher status and are typically paid better relative to other workers. It also noted, "countries that have succeeded in making teaching an attractive profession have often done so not just through pay, but by raising the status of teaching."

How can we raise the status of teachers in the United States? Read nine opinions on the issue in Room for Debate in The New York Times
online.