Rural Trust says. “Geography should not dictate which children obtain an excellent education and which do not,” says Lorna Jimerson, Ed.D., author of The Competitive Disadvantage: Teacher Compensation in Rural America. “Yet rural districts are having an especially hard time attracting and retaining the highly qualified teachers essential to the goal of providing an excellent education for every child.” These issues are significant when you consider that more than 40 percent of all public schools are in rural places and their teachers educate 14.3 million of America’s children. The study found lower rural teacher salaries in every region of the country. The disparity, Jimerson says, “is significant from the very beginning of a teacher’s career and gets even worse with training and experience.” Specifically, Jimerson foundthat: The average salary for teachers in rural districts is 13.4 percent lower than in non-rural areas. * In 10 states, the difference between the highest rural teacher salary and the highest non-rural salary is more than $10,000 per year. In Illinois, the highest-paid rural teacher makes almost $34,000 less than the highest-paid non-rural teacher. Beginning Teachers Rural $24,170 1 $26,895 Non-rural Non-rural MA+ 20 Years’ Experience ban teachers, makes it hard for Rural National Average Leaving Rural Teachers Behind? (NAPSA)—The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates a “highly qualified” teacher in every American classroom. It is a noble goal, but according to the Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust), one that presents special challenges to already stressed rural schools struggling to recruit and retain qualified teachers. A severe teacher shortage, combined with rural teacher salaries that lag significantly behind those of urban and subur- Rural Non-rural 1) $29,828 WW $33,838 ) $39,487 16,271 @ For experienced teachers (those with Masters’ degrees plus 20 years), rural teachers are paid 17.2 percent less than their nonrural counterparts. Nationwide, beginning teachers in rural areas earn 11.3 per- cent less than beginning teachers in non-ruraldistricts. Thereport also explores the common misconception that rural teacher salaries should be lower because rural areas are cheaper places to live. In truth, says Jimerson, “studies have shown thatit will take more money to attract and retain qualified teachers in poorer areas, which often have a lower cost of living. So salaries in these areas may needto be higher—not lower— in orderto recruit and retain highly qualified educators.” The Rural Trust has recommended a numberof policy changes to assist rural districts in attracting and retaining the teachers they need. These include paying rural teachers salaries and benefits comparable to teachers in suburban and urban areas and providing additional financial incentives to attract highly qualified teachersto ruraldistricts. For a free downloadable copy of the report, visit the Rural Trust’s Web site at http://www.rural edu.org/newsroom/teachpay.htm.
