Higher pay for teachers means students do better. When teachers get paid more, students do better. In one study, a 10% increase in teacher pay was estimated to produce a 5 to 10% increase in student performance. Teacher pay also has long-term benefits for students. Higher pay means teachers are more likely to stay in the classroom. That's linked to increased student achievement. The policy argument for paying teachers more is straightforward: you'll attract and keep better teachers. That's largely backed up by research. When teacher pay is a problem, fewer people want to become teachers. It’s just that simple. A majority (76%) of responders to a TIME poll said they agreed that many people won’t go into teaching because it doesn’t pay enough. This means fewer graduates of teacher education programs, and fewer teachers looking to fill the increase in demand for teachers.
