Former Intel Chairman, Dr. Craig Barrett, Speaks About American Teachers

From, "2 Million Minutes: The 21st Century Solution," Dr. Craig Barrett, Former Chairman of Intel, speaks about American K-12 Teachers.

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[2MillionMinutes]

Can you give readers a compensation range you think is fair to attract the top graduates from the top universities - the ones Wendy Kopp is recruiting now at the current compensation.

This year, a record 35,000 grads applied to Teach For America, including: 1- Over 5 percent of the senior class at more than 130 colleges and universities. 2 - 11 percent of all seniors at Ivy League universities, including nearly 20 percent of African-American, Latino, and Hispanic seniors.

Not bad, Wendy!

[shawt2]

How much money do I want??

Actually, I come pretty cheap. My first teaching job in 1992 paid about 17K/year (I was also coaching three sports). But I thought the original question was how do we entice our top graduates from our top universities to choose a career in education when there are so many more lucrative options out there. Money is part of the answer, but If it were as simple as a dollar amt, I think we would have figured it out by now. Hpy to share more thoughts but rning out of rm.

[2MillionMinutes]

Stay on your soapbox - it is revealing to get a teacher's perspective.

China is eating our economic lunch, not just our education lunch.

China is America's largest creditor - owning $2 TRILLION in US T-bonds.

America has a $1.5 TRILLION trade deficit with China.

China has a $2 TRILLION foreign currency reserve. The USA - $78 billion.

As the Chinese proverb goes - 以古讽今 - The past may be better than the present.

Or as the saying goes at the US State Dept - "We miss Mao now."

[2MillionMinutes]

I hear "it will take more" from the Teachers Unions and teachers all the time. OK I get it.

Will you tell us average Americans what your price is to teach our children to world-class standards?

How much money do you want to teach? Name your price!

Maybe America will cough it up to get their kids a great education - on top of the $668 billion we pay annually today.

Americans love their kids - here's a chance to exploit that love.

Show some guts - how much money do you want?

[2MillionMinutes]

Most BRILLIANT comment in 4 years!

[thiswaythat]

when educating our children becomes our goal, attracting qualified teachers will not be the issue.

[shawt2]

One last point, then I'll get off the soap box...

China and India are eating our lunch in math and engineering not because they have staffed their schools with PhDs but more because of the attitudes of their students toward education. I remember a section about this in the 2MM documentary. Malcolm Gladwell also discusses different attitudes toward math (not genetics) being primarily responsible for differences between Asian and American math scores in his book Outliers.

[shawt2]

More important than salary, however, is the opportunity for advancement beyond the department chair level. The fact is that there are very few opportunities for advancement within a school for someone who wants to remain a teacher (as opposed to a principal). I would love to see more opportunities for growth in teacher career paths such as mentoring, curriculum design, and pedagogical research. Such opportunities for advancement, prestige, and growth might attract and retain better talent.

[shawt2]

Nearly half of all teachers who enter the profession leave it in the first five years according to the New Commission on The Skills of the American Workforce. The reasons are complex, and salary is only a part of it. While 60K is respectable, I bet if you found someone living in NYC and earning 60K, they would not feel like they earn more than 80% of the country. To attract top talent from the top universities, it will take more.

[2MillionMinutes]

Wendy Kopp of Teach For America has demonstrated one can get great people to be teachers - at the current salary - and retain a high proportion of them in education.

In New York State - the average teacher's salary is $60,000 for a 185 day contract work year.

Annualized to 220 days - the salary average is $71,351. That puts a teacher's pay in the top 20% of all 130 million US jobs - actual or annualized.

Is that a "poor salary" - in the top 20% w benefits and retirement? I don't know.