Salaries & Benefits

Education news, analysis, and opinion about pay and benefits for school and district employees

Explainer

Teacher Pay: How Salaries, Pensions, and Benefits Work in Schools
An Education Week primer on teacher salaries, raises, performance pay, pensions, Social Security benefits, and health-care premiums.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27, 2018. New research suggests U.S. teacher strikes have been effective at increasing wages.
Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Do Teacher Strikes Increase Pay?
New research finds the majority of teacher strikes in the last decade did boost wages and benefits.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 30, 2024
4 min read
Montage of news photos highlight protestors of school choice, a bible on a classroom desk, the U.S. Capitol building and protestors of CRT
Getty + AP
Policy & Politics Explainer Education Debates You'll Likely Hear About in the Election, Explained
Brush up on key education policy issues that could show up in national, state, and local races.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 26, 2024
4 min read
Preschool teacher with kids sitting nearby while she reads a book.
iStock/Getty
Early Childhood Head Start Teachers Will Earn More—But Programs Might Have to Serve Fewer Kids
A new federal rule will raise wages for Head Start employees—but providers won't get any additional funding.
Mark Lieberman, August 22, 2024
7 min read
Illustration of dollar being used to fill gap in bridge.
DigitalVision Vectors
States Some School Workers Now Get Unemployment Over the Summer. Here's How It Works
Districts are scrambling as some states now allow non-instructional school employees to collect summer unemployment checks.
Mark Lieberman, August 13, 2024
9 min read
John Arthur, a teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School in Salt Lake City, speaks before the Senate HELP Committee during a hearing on teacher salaries in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2024.
John Arthur, a teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School in Salt Lake City, speaks before the Senate HELP Committee during a hearing on teacher salaries in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2024.
Sen. Bernie Sanders' YouTube
Teaching Profession Teachers to Congress: We Shouldn't Have to Work Second Jobs
Teachers at a Senate hearing called for a pay boost while Republicans questioned whether it should be a federal priority.
Libby Stanford, June 20, 2024
7 min read
Teacher working on scheduling at desk.
E+
Teaching Profession Teachers Report Lower Pay, More Stress Than Workers in Other Fields
It's yet another warning sign for the beleaguered profession.
Evie Blad, June 19, 2024
4 min read
Image of a pregnant person at work.
E+
Teaching Profession Teachers Are Pushing for Paid Parental Leave. How It's Going
Efforts to implement paid parental leave policies are slowly gaining traction, with teachers often advocating on their own behalf.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 12, 2024
7 min read
An illustration of a red path through a blue tinted maze leading to a dollar sign at the outside of the maze.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Listen Up, Admins! Higher Salary Is the Start of Better Teacher Compensation
Teachers on social media weigh-in on what they'd like to see in their compensation packages.
Tanyon A. Duprey, May 30, 2024
3 min read
men and women entering and exiting open doorways on an isolated blue background
iStock/Getty
Special Education Why Special Education Teachers Quit—and What Schools Are Doing About It
States and districts take creative approaches to retain special education teachers.
Evie Blad, May 28, 2024
5 min read
Illustration of woman turning back hands on clock.
Education Week + iStock / Getty Images Plus Week
Budget & Finance Districts Scramble to Comply With New Overtime Rule
Organizations push to delay new rule that requires overtime pay for more school employees.
Evie Blad, May 21, 2024
2 min read
A Black woman is standing on a ladder and looking into the distance with binoculars, in the background is an ascending arrow.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center Principal Salaries: The Gap Between Expectation and Reality
Exclusive survey data indicate a gap between the expectations and the realities of principal pay.
Olina Banerji, May 20, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of a ladder on a blue background reaching the shape of a puzzle piece peeled back and revealing a Benjamin Franklin bank note behind it.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center Here's What Superintendents Think They Should Be Paid
A new survey asks school district leaders whether they're paid fairly.
Caitlynn Peetz, May 14, 2024
3 min read
A teacher putting her arms around her students, more students than she can manage herself. A shortage of Special Education teachers.
Nicole Xu for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Retention Is the Missing Ingredient in Special Education Staffing
Many special education teachers switch to other teaching positions. Districts are exploring ways to keep them in the needed role.
Evie Blad, May 13, 2024
9 min read
Employees learn more about health and wellness options during a mini benefits fair put on by The Lovett School in Atlanta on May 8, 2024.
Employees at the Lovett School in Atlanta meet with health benefits representatives during a mini benefits fair on May 8, 2024.
Erin Sintos for Education Week
Teaching Profession Massages, Mammograms, and Dental Care: How One School Saves Teachers' Time
This Atlanta school offers unique onsite benefits to teachers to help them reduce stress.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 10, 2024
3 min read