3.3.1.5 Master Degree Debunked
84.5 percent* of Sycamore’s 371.2 teachers** have master/doctorate degrees. Sycamore has an average salary bump of about $7,000 for a master’s degree. *** (Note: not so sure this $7000 is correct. It may be a $20,000 bump, based on the salary schedule)
Sycamore pays about $2.2 million in bonuses to teachers with a master’s degree, even though the value has been debunked for years. And the cost amounts to about 2.6 percent of the district’s $75 million total spending. ****
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Source: * Sycamore FAST FACTS rev. 10-1-2010. **ODE iRLC data, 2009-2010 school year. ***School employee. **** FY10 actual, line 5.050
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… Every year, American schools pay more than $8.6 billion in bonuses to teachers with master’s degrees, even though the idea that a higher degree makes a teacher more effective than has been mostly debunked. [debunk vb : to expose the sham or falseness of]
Despite more than a decade of research showing the money has little impact on student achievement, state lawmakers and other officials have been reluctant to tackle this popular way for teachers to earn more money.
That could soon change, as local school districts around the country grapple with shrinking budgets.
Just this week, U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the economy has given the nation an opportunity to make dramatic improvements in the productivity of its education system and to do more of what works and lesss of what doesn’t.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says master’s degree bonuses for teachers are an example of spending money on something that doesn’t work.
On Friday, billionaire Bill Gates took aim at schools budgets and the master’s degree bonus. “My own state of Washington has an average bump of nearly $11,000 for a master’s degree – and more than half of our teachers get it. That’s more than $300 million every year that doesn’t help kids,” he said.
…. research professor Dan Goldhaber, explained that that research dating to a study he did in 1997 has shown that students of teachers with master’s degrees show no better progress in student achievement than their peers taught by teachers without advanced degrees. Repeated studies have confirmed the results. Rosa and Miller found more than 2 percent of total education spending in 13 states – including Ohio and Kentucky – went to master’s degree bonuses.
Source: Advocates want to stop teachers’ degree bonuses. By Donna Gordon Blankenship. Associated Press. Article appeared in THE ENQUIRER November 21, 2010 page A7
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There is little to no evidence that teachers with master’s degrees perform better than those without, or that a teacher with a doctorate in education is a better instructor than one with a baccalaureate from a selective college. On average, master’s degrees in education bear no relationship to student achievement. Yet according to a 2007 study, the “master bump” in compensation amounted to 2.1 percent of all education expenses, or $174 per student annually.
Source: Harvard Education Press Book, Stretching the School Dollar. Pages: 144,145.
Ms. Rhee said, “• Ensure accountability for every dollar and every child. Due to the financial downturn in the states, it is critically important to ensure that every dollar spent on public education has a positive impact on student learning. Unfortunately, billions of dollars today are wasted on things such as paying for advanced degrees for teachers that have no measurable impact on student achievement.
States will continue to find it difficult to solve budget deficits if they continue to ignore problems surrounding the current structure of their benefits and pensions for teachers and administrators. For example, states and districts must shift new employees from defined-benefit pension programs to portable, defined-contribution plans where employees can contribute a proportionate amount to their own retirement savings. This will help ensure that states aren’t draining their budgets with pension payouts.”
Ms. Rhee was chancellor of the public school system in Washington, D.C., from 2007-2010. She is founder and CEO of StudentsFirst.
Source: “In Budget Crisis, an Opening for School Reform,” by Michelle Rhee, Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576068142896954626
Donna Breitenstein of Hyde Park writes to the Enquirer 11/24/10 A15 Teacher story misleading:
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The article “Advocates want to stop teachers degree bonuses” (Nov.21) is misleading. Teachers don’t get bonuses; they get additional compensation for advanced learning and experience. The No Child Left Behind Act requires teachers to obtain a master’s degree to be highly qualified. The article cites a study that an advanced degree does not translate to increased student achievement. Then why require teachers to spend time, money and effort to obtain the advanced degree?
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So many factors are involved in student achievement: class size, parental support, curriculum, how it is measured and much more. Complex issues require careful consideration of many factors. Misleading terms and quotes on compensation are irresponsible.
ANNUAL, AUTOMATIC STEP RAISES
One of the most common complaints you hear from teachers unions is that they “haven’t had a raise in (fill in the blank) years.” By that, they mean a general percentage raise. In fact, 7
every school in this study, and most public schools across the nation, have automatic, annual “step” raises built into their teacher contracts.
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Under the “step” system, which is based on nothing but service time and level of college degree, teacher salaries increase significantly over their first few decades of service. The basic
salary scale is based on having a Bachelors degree, but Ohio law stipulates that teachers must have a Masters degree by their 14th year of service. The Masters scale in school contracts calls for higher salaries than the Bachelors scale.When a school board does grant an across-the-board salary increase of 2 or 3 percent, like several area districts did in recent years, all of the steps in the various pay scales increase by that percentage.
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Most districts only require a teacher to work a minimum of 120 days per year to move up the step pay scale the next year. Annual, automatic step raises generally create significantly higher payroll expenses for school districts every year.
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READING – In this small district, the Bachelors salary scale extends from $36,190 to $55,009 (tenth year) and $68,317 (27th year). The Masters scale starts at $41,619 and jumps to $63,224
(tenth year) and $76,637 (27th year). The top of the pay scale in Reading is $80,763, which is for teachers with a Masters degree plus 45 credit hours in their 27th year.
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This year’s step increases at Reading, which has only about 70 teachers, cost the district an extra $153,000.
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NORTH COLLEGE HILL – In this district of roughly 70 regular classroom teachers, the Bachelors salary scale starts at $34,390 and extends to $63,314 (23rd year). The Masters scale
begins at $38,379 and runs to $73,287 (23rd year). Teachers with a Masters plus 20 credit hours, and 23 years of experience, top out the scale at $75,284.
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This year step increases will cost the district an additional $148,564.
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OAK HILLS – The Bachelors scale extends from $36,963 to $65,424 (12th year) and $70,230 (25th year). The Masters scale jumps from $41,768 to $75,774 in the 25h year. The top of the
scale, which is Masters plus 30 after 25 years, is $83,167. See Example 1 on the next page.
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This year step increases cost the district an additional $800,000.
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EXAMPLE 1
KINGS – The Bachelors scale extends from $37,861 to $73,300 (29th year). The Masters scale extends from $41,799 to $79,585 (29th year). The top of the scale, with a Masters plus 20 credit hours, is $81,554.
Step increases cost the district an extra $200,000 this year.
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MARIEMONT – The Bachelors scale extends from $36,468 to $59,551 (12th year). The Masters scale extends from $41,241 to $77,127 (27th year). The top of the scale, with a Masters
plus 30 credit hours and 27 years in the district, is $82,595.
Mariemont’s payroll increased $130,000 this year due to step increases.
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CINCINNATI – The Bachelors scale extends from $36,905 to $71,520 (27th year). The Masters scale extends from $40,608 to $77,317 (27th year). The top of the scale, which requires a
doctorate, pays $83,454.
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The district’s payroll is expected to increase by just over $3 million during the 2010-11 school year.
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SYCAMORE – The Bachelors scale extends from $38,145 to $68,646 (25th year). The Masters scale extends from $39,841 to $84,732 (25th year). The top of the scale, with a Masters plus 45
credit hours, is $87,645.
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The district’s payroll is expected to increase by $814,478 this year.
Source: The black hole of school spending. Released April 27,2010. Report by the Education Action Group Foundation.