There are lots of ways this problem can be addressed – but one that matters a lot is paying teachers more.
A lot more.
Teacher pay matters. Investing in the people who have direct contact with students is a direct investment in student success.
When teachers get paid more, students do better. In one study, a 10% increase in teacher pay was estimated to produce a 5 to 10% increase in student performance. Teacher pay also has long-term benefits for students. A 10% increase in per-pupil spending for each of the 12 years of education results in students completing more education, having 7% higher wages, and having a reduced rate of adult poverty. These benefits are even greater for families who are in poverty.
In a statement released to the media, Memphis parent advocacy group Memphis Lift called on a federal court to allow a state takeover of schools in Memphis. That planned takeover – initiated by state legislators in the most recent session of the General Assembly – is currently stalled as the school system continues its legal efforts to push back against the state.
Here’s Memphis Lift Executive Director Sarah Carpenter:
“The people who filed this lawsuit – and the people who are defending it – are not the ones most affected. Students and families are, so we had to speak up.
“While politicians and government officials argue over who should control our school system, our children are the ones sitting in these classrooms every single day. And they are the ones who will pay the price for more delay.
“That is why Memphis parents filed this brief. Our voices and our children’s interests were missing from this case.
“We are not asking the judge to settle the politics. We are asking the Court to consider what another year of waiting means for a child who cannot read on grade level, who goes to a school that has struggled year after year, or who may graduate before meaningful change ever reaches their classroom.
“For years, parents fought for an intervention because our children are not getting the educational outcomes they deserved. We supported this intervention because we want better schools and better futures for our children, not because we care which group of adults gets to be in charge.
“A school year is not something you can give back to a child. Our kids cannot put their education on pause while adults fight in court. Memphis parents have waited long enough. It is time to get to work.”
At Gov. Bill Lee’s behest, the General Assembly this year expanded the state’s private school discount coupon scheme – now costing $300 million.
As part of that expansion, policymakers also decided that students accepting vouchers would no longer have to take state standardized tests – so, we won’t know in the future whether students using vouchers have “improved” academic outcomes.
We do, however, have numbers from the program so far – a program that has been around since its passage in 2019.
The Tennessean notes that only 17% of kids receiving vouchers scored proficient on the state’s standardized math test and 24% reached proficiency in English.
I mean, that sounds bad – but, how does it compare to public school results?
Public school students scored 43% in math proficiency and 40% in English.
