Research On Historical Development Of Teacher Pay Systems In American Public Education

Teacher compensation is the economic foundation which supports and motivates the teaching profession.It is closely related to the social status and occupational prestige of teachers.As a superpower in education, which shifts has the United States gone through in teacher compensation? What is the situation of the current reforms?which problems has it encountered?What can we learn from that?By consulting and analysing relative documents on historical changes of teacher pay system in American public education,this paper examines the history of teacher pay system in American public education since the 1800s.It reviews the three major changes in the method of teacher compensation: the boarding round system,the grade-based salary schedule and the single salary schedule.It concludes with a look at the recent compensation-reform efforts,such as merit pay and career-ladder programs.According to the changing social economic and educational needs,it may be ripe for reconstructuring teacher compensation.By examining the historical development of teacher pay ,comparing teacher pay with other professions and referring to the annual survey report issued by AFT,we can draw a conclusion that Amerian teacher pay is not competitive enough and it is urgent to raise salaries for American teachers .At the same time ,this essay will contribute to build a teacher pay system that can both meet the demands of society and show the characteristics of teaching in China.