A new paper from Public Impact says “yes!” and offers some innovative ideas how. I’m particularly interested in the idea to offer teachers options of working reduced hours for proportionately lower pay. Teaching is a predominantly female profession, and polling data suggests that, while a majority women with children under 18 want to work, many would prefer to work part-time rather than full-time, but it can be difficult for working mothers to find rewarding part-time positions in their fields. Offering more opportunities for teachers to work less than the full teaching load could be an attractive strategy to attract and retain talented moms (and dads) in the field, and could also create opportunities for career changes or others who would like to teach but continue to do some work in their original field.
The opinions expressed in Sara Mead’s Policy Notebook are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.