Eco 200: librarians

[kingrat]

(group) Should high school math and English teachers be paid as much as science and math teachers?

1. Suppose that a school district pays all high-school teachers with the same years of experience the same salary, regardless of teaching field, and that this produces a surplus of history and English teachers and a shortage of science and math teachers. Would this create a case for salary differentials?

   Yes. It would.

2. How could the problem of concurrent surplus and shortage be solved without paying science and math teachers more money than history and English teachers?

   That profession would have to be made more attractive. So non-monetary compensation would need to be increased. Fewer hours or less duties (more teaching assistants!). Lower standards for that employment category. Or conscript math and science teachers.

3. Why has the policy of identical wages in fact produced shortages of science and math teachers along with surpluses f history and English teachers in many school districts? What factors have contributed on the demand side? On the supply side?

   If I had a choice between two professions offering the same wage, I'd take the one that required the least amount of work to enter. Why work harder for no more money? And my experience in college was that it was much less effort to get good grades in humanities than in math and science. If not for the possibility of greater income, I'd have stuck with the easier professions. On the supply side, I'm not sure.

Comments

[kaosqueen.livejournal.com]

graduating from college with a humanaties degree doesn't get you much in the real world. as very few people can make it as writers if one enjoys history or english etc, then one must teach.

however there are many more job opporutnities for people coming out of college with math and science degrees -- in most cases job opportunites which pay far better than teaching.