Are teachers overworked and underpaid? Declining teacher retention rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think restorative justice in DCPS is enabling a lot more behavior issues in the classroom and teachers can’t do a damn thing and so are leaving.

This! People don't want to acknowledge it, but this is a huge issue.

[Anonymous]

How are you going to verify people who respond are actually teachers for DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a DCPS teacher and I agree with most of PP’s list except that we are underpaid. I’ve never heard a teacher I know or work with say we are underpaid. In fact I know many teachers who would leave DCPS but stick around because the pay is better than the vast majority of other districts in the country and certainly in this region.

As an dcps teacher, I agree. Perhaps that leads to charter turnover though…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are you going to verify people who respond are actually teachers for DCPS?

+1. I think we're about to get a lot of RJ haters who are non teachers

[Anonymous]

The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

Lol most havent reached six figures and they work ten months. The have 7-8 weeks off in the summer, although most work side jobs/summer school/tutoring etc during that time. If you think they have fair compensation or even overly generous compensation, no need for the blatant inaccuracies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather know that I'm talking to a real person and not someone using this prompt to troll. Do you have an american.edu email address people can send information to?

Sure thing. [e-mail]. Thank you!

Brave for putting your email here.

Might I recommend that once you have what you need from this thread, you ask Jeff to delete it or at least any comments which contain your email address and name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kaitlyn, one angle you should look at in DC in particular is the different experiences (and possible retention rates) between DCPS teachers who belong to the teachers union, and charter teachers who don't. Not saying anything either way, but if you are going to address the issue correctly, you need to understand that "teachers" in DC are not a monolith and can be in very different situations.

Also, there's an angel where a drop in retention is caused by burnout and teachers getting fed up with the profession, especially after Covid. But there's also an angle where teachers are leaving jobs for better ones, because the teacher shortage is forcing districts to offer more incentives to new teachers. And these approaches are not mutually exclusive -- teacher burnout is absolutely a real phenomenon and is leading to some attrition, and the attrition is contributing to the overall teacher shortage which is creating opportunities for teachers who don't want to leave teaching but might be interested in leaving a dysfunctional school or district for greener pastures.

It's a complex issue and I'd encourage you not to simplify it.

Reminder: This is just an undergrad thesis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a DCPS teacher and I agree with most of PP’s list except that we are underpaid. I’ve never heard a teacher I know or work with say we are underpaid. In fact I know many teachers who would leave DCPS but stick around because the pay is better than the vast majority of other districts in the country and certainly in this region.

I am also a teacher (in NOVA) and do not hear teachers complain about pay, but I think if teachers were paid more it would entice more to stay. We have a lot of young teachers at my school this year and almost every one has a long term career plan that involves getting out of the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

Lol most havent reached six figures and they work ten months. The have 7-8 weeks off in the summer, although most work side jobs/summer school/tutoring etc during that time. If you think they have fair compensation or even overly generous compensation, no need for the blatant inaccuracies.

i too have a side gig. it's pretty normal these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

*The city pays **SOME** elementary school teachers that much. Some.

What would you say they shoudl get paid? Have you tried to buy a house in DC? You don't think teachers deserve to live where they teach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

Lol most havent reached six figures and they work ten months. The have 7-8 weeks off in the summer, although most work side jobs/summer school/tutoring etc during that time. If you think they have fair compensation or even overly generous compensation, no need for the blatant inaccuracies.

i too have a side gig. it's pretty normal these days.

Yes it is! Um thank you for sharing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

Lol most havent reached six figures and they work ten months. The have 7-8 weeks off in the summer, although most work side jobs/summer school/tutoring etc during that time. If you think they have fair compensation or even overly generous compensation, no need for the blatant inaccuracies.

i too have a side gig. it's pretty normal these days.

Yes it is! Um thank you for sharing?

You mauy have neglected to read the comment PP was responding to, which imploied that it is somehow unusual or a burden that teachers have time to have side jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

*The city pays **SOME** elementary school teachers that much. Some.

What would you say they shoudl get paid? Have you tried to buy a house in DC? You don't think teachers deserve to live where they teach?

There are interns in the city government who make $50,000. Pretty much everyone in the DC government is vastly overpaid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city pays elementary school art teachers six figures to work eight months a year. Hard to say that’s underpaid

*The city pays **SOME** elementary school teachers that much. Some.

What would you say they shoudl get paid? Have you tried to buy a house in DC? You don't think teachers deserve to live where they teach?

There are interns in the city government who make $50,000. Pretty much everyone in the DC government is vastly overpaid

DC government pays less than the feds and has worse benefits. They have to pay what they do to retain any talent or they’ll be left with only federal government rejects.