Despite little research supporting the practice, paying teachers for earning advanced degrees continues to cost states billions of dollars—in 2007-08, an estimated $14.8 billion, or 72 percent more than just four years earlier, according to a report by the Center for American Progress.
The Washington-based think tank’s report contends that the money could be better spent on other compensation plans, such as offering more to teachers in shortage fields, like mathematics or special education; higher salaries to retain the best teachers; or incentives to teachers who take difficult teaching assignments.