Writer: Improve Teacher Quality By Increasing Starting Salaries

Reihan Salam writes at the National Review (5/29), "I was very impressed by Benjy Sarlin of Talking Points Memo for having reported on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's nuanced take on class size reduction. The central problem with class size reduction is that (a) the policy hasn't been implemented in the most cost-effective manner, i.e., it hasn't been focused on the students who stand to benefit the most and (b) it has exacerbated the dilution of the teacher talent pool, and for that reason it has contributed to a reduction in average teacher quality." Salam continues to describe a plan in which districts would stop paying teachers higher salaries based on credentials, and rather pay increased starting salaries in order to attract better qualified applicants. This approach, he writes, "would encourage retention among younger teachers and it would do a better job of rewarding the considerable gains in effectiveness that occur in the first few years."