Education: Gains

Things were looking up for teachers in all 48 states. On the basis of a nationwide survey, the New York Times reported last week that teachers are “making the greatest financial gains in their history.” By next fall salaries will be up an average of $400 a year. The biggest boost was given by Indiana, where the average teacher’s average pay has jumped from $2,011 to $3,000. Mississippi, the lowest-paying state, has raised its average salary from $875 a year to $1,195.

Many states are doing their best to make teaching more attractive by salary increases and more liberal contracts; a few are giving more sabbaticals and scholarships. But, concluded the Times, there is still a teacher shortage, and too many incompetent teachers on the job.