School & District Management What the Research Says

U.S. Teachers and Students Are Tops for Time Spent in School

By Sarah D. Sparks — September 17, 2019 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

U.S. students and teachers alike spend significantly more time at school than their international peers, according to the latest Education at a Glance compendium by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The mammoth annual report released last week tracks educational indicators for 46 member and participating countries, including the United States. It includes measures for early childhood through postgraduate education, as well as comparisons of teachers and principals.

It shows U.S. students and their teachers spend a lot more time in the classroom than their global peers.

A typical U.S. student spends 8,884 hours in school from kindergarten through 8th grade. That’s nearly 1,300 hours—more than a full school year—above the OECD average. In higher education, U.S. students also take slightly longer on average to complete a bachelor’s degree than their international peers.

But young children are much less likely to participate in preschool in the United States than in the typical OECD country, the report shows. While 77 percent of 3-year-olds and 88 percent of 4-year-olds in participating countries were enrolled in preschool on average, in the United States, the preschool enrollment share is 35 percentage points lower for 3-year olds and 22 percentage points lower for 4-year-olds.

U.S. teachers are asked to work 2,000 hours on average. That’s 400 hours longer than the OECD average, and ties with Chile and Switzerland for the longest statutory worktime among the countries. At all levels, U.S. teachers spend about half of their time in class, which amounts to more instructional time than the global average at every grade but preschool.

The data also show that U.S. teachers and principals are among the highest paid internationally. A typical new U.S. teacher earns about $40,000, about $7,000 more than the global average. A 15-year veteran teacher earns a little more than $62,000, compared to just under $46,000 on average across study nations. But the salary gap between U.S. principals and teachers is among the largest in the OECD.

In postsecondary education, the 2019 report notes that the percentage of U.S. young adults ages 25-34 who had earned some type of postsecondary degree rose 8 percentage points from 2008 to 2018, to 49 percent. That’s above the OECD average of 44 percent. U.S. students were more likely than the OECD average to earn “short-cycle” associate degrees or certificates, but only 11 percent of U.S. young adults earned a master’s or doctoral degree, compared to 15 percent in OECD countries.

A version of this article appeared in the September 18, 2019 edition of Education Week as U.S. Teachers and Students Are Tops for Time Spent in School

Events

School Climate & Safety K-12 Essentials Forum Strengthen Students’ Connections to School
Join this free event to learn how schools are creating the space for students to form strong bonds with each other and trusted adults.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Reframing Behavior: Neuroscience-Based Practices for Positive Support
Reframing Behavior helps teachers see the “why” of behavior through a neuroscience lens and provides practices that fit into a school day.
Content provided by Crisis Prevention Institute
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Math for All: Strategies for Inclusive Instruction and Student Success
Looking for ways to make math matter for all your students? Gain strategies that help them make the connection as well as the grade.
Content provided by NMSI

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management 6 Ways Schools Are Managing Students’ Cellphone Use
Students' cellphone use has been a major source of headaches for teachers and principals.
5 min read
A cell phone sits on a student's desk during a 9th grade honors English class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
A cellphone sits on a student's desk during a 9th grade honors English class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024. The policies that districts and schools use to manage the use of cellphones during the school day vary widely.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
School & District Management What the Research Says What Districts With the Worst Attendance Have in Common
Districts often lack a systemic approach to coping with the spike in chronic attendance problems, a Michigan study suggests.
4 min read
Scarce classroom of students taking exams at their desks with empty desks in the foreground.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management More School Workers Qualify for Overtime Under New Rule. Teachers Remain Exempt
Nurses, paraprofessionals, and librarians could get paid more under the federal rule, but the change won't apply to teachers.
3 min read
Image of a clock on supplies.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva<br/>
School & District Management Opinion Principals, You Aren't the Only Leader in Your School
What I learned about supporting teachers in my first week as an assistant principal started with just one question: “How would I know?”
Shayla Ewing
4 min read
Collaged illustration of a woman climbing a ladder to get a better perspective in a landscape of ladders.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva