Fast Fact

Compared to other countries, U.S. flunks in teacher pay

Alex Carter — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:45:05 -0400

In South Korea and Germany, starting salaries for teachers are about 141% of per capita GDP, while the figure for the United States is only 81%; in fact, all countries in this sample pay their teachers a significantly higher relative wage as a starting salary compared to the United States.

WIth one day of Iraq War funding could have...

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:06:13 -0400

With one day of Iraq War funding we could have hired 6,921 new public school teachers for a year.

WIth one day of Iraq War funding could have...

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:05:09 -0400

With one day of Iraq War funding we could have sent 6,883 high school graduates to four fully funded years at
public universities.

Tax cuts could be spent on education

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:00:22 -0400

The Bush tax cuts for households with annual incomes above $1 million will cost more than the federal government spent last year on K-12 and vocational education. The cuts will exceed the combined budgets of the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

State college tuition rising rapidly

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:58:18 -0400

State colleges raised tuitions rose at three times the rate of inflation between 2000 and 2006, putting college out of reach of many families.

Poor Air Quality in Schools Equal Student Days Absent

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:36:37 -0400

The American Lung Association reported that “American children missed more than 12 million school days in 2000 because of asthma exacerbated by poor indoor air quality”.

School Infrastructure Fails the Test

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:53:11 -0400

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s school infrastructure a “D”.

Public Investment in Pre-K Saves in the Long Run

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:19:38 -0400

Every dollar invested in early childhood education yields seven times that in savings, with less need for special ed, welfare and criminal justice services.

Students Dropping Out of High School--Still a Problem

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:15:48 -0400

Only 70% of entering freshmen and barely half of students of color finish high school with a regular diploma four years later. Every school day, nearly 7,000 American high school students become dropouts.

Teachers Won't Stay in the Profession

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:11:52 -0400

Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession during their first five years.