New Study Ranks Which States Are Best for Teachers in the United States
Monday, September 24, 2018
How does Rhode Island stack up against the rest of the country when it comes to teachers?
_816_816_90.jpg)
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Rhode Island is the 29th best state in the country for teachers.
“Teaching can be a profoundly rewarding career, considering the critical role educators play in shaping young minds. But many teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid. Education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and teacher salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation. Meanwhile, the Every Student Succeeds Act demands growth in student performance,” said WalletHub.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRI’s Rankings
- 31st Best - Opportunity & Competiton
- 17th Best - Academic & Work Environment
The Rankings
Rhode Island is ranked behind Vermont and Colorado, who rank 27th and 28th respectively.
RI is ranked ahead of Georgia and California, who rank 30th and 31st respectively.
The best state in the country for teachers is New York, while the worst state in the country for teachers is Hawaii.
See the full rankings in the map below
The Method
In order to determine the teacher-friendliest states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Opportunity & Competition” and “Academic & Work Environment.”
They evaluated the two dimensions using 22 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for living and working as a teacher.
Finally, WalletHub determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Opportunity & Competition - Total Points: 70
- Average Starting Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Average Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Teachers’ Income Growth Potential: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Average Teacher Pension: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Share of New Teachers with Inadequate Pensions: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Projected Teacher Competition in Year 2026: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Public-School Enrollment Growth: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Teacher Tenure Protections: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
- Share of Uncertified Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
Academic & Work Environment - Total Points: 30
- Quality of School System: Triple Weight (~7.20 Points)
- Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Public-School Spending per Student: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Presence of Annual Teacher-Evaluation Requirement: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Presence of Teacher-Effectiveness Requirement: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Projected Share of Teacher Turnover: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Teacher Union Strength: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Teacher Safety: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Share of Teachers Who Feel Supported by Their Administrator: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
- Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)
- Prevalence of Childhood Disadvantage: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)
- Working Mom-Friendliness: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)
Related Slideshow: New England College Rankings - U.S. News & World Report 2019
Related Articles
- East Providence Mayor Allegedly Caught Calling Teachers Cry Babies, Negotiating Like “Poor People”
- Rep. Morgan: Teachers Should Be Able to Say Merry Christmas in RI
- Organize + Energize: Teachers! 8 Tips to Organize Your Classroom
- Mayor Avedisian Update on the Warwick Teachers Contract Fight on LIVE
- RI Federation of Teachers Urges Raimondo to Oppose Charter School Expansion in New Campaign
- RI Ranked 10th Worst State for Teachers
- RI Retired Teachers Hire Forbes’ Siedle
- RI Retired Teachers Willing to Pay $10K Demand from Magaziner for Pension Investigation
- Providence Teachers Union Leadership Fight Escalates Over Audits, Seniority
- Warwick School Committee and Teachers’ Union Reach Tentative Agreement, Says Mediator
- Providence Teachers Union to Picket Elorza’s State of the City Address
- Diocese Admits Teachers’ Retirement Fund in Distress, Blames Individuals Who Unveiled Key Documents
- EXCLUSIVE: Diocese of Providence’s Teachers & Staff Pension Fund Faces Failure, May Impact Thousands
- Two RI Teachers Receive Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching
- EXCLUSIVE: New Documents Show Diocese Is Freezing Benefits For Many Teachers and Staff
- Allegations of Coercion, Deception Levied in RI, As Teachers Union Tries to Hold On To Members
- Providence Schools in Chaos — Teachers Union Blisters Elorza for Comments About Teachers and Race
- RI Retired Teachers Assoc. Sends 100 Questions on Pension Fund Management to Magaziner
- Magaziner Should Return $10K to Retired Teachers for Withholding Key Documents, Says Siedle
- LIVE: Whitcomb on Trump’s Military Parade, Borges’ Brady Controversy, & Providence Teachers’ Tactic
- LIVE: Providence Teachers Union Head Blasts Trump’s Guns in Schools Proposal
- LIVE: RI “Teachers Bill of Rights” Proposed by Rep. O’Brien
- Rep. Amore on Automatic Weapons, Opposing Arming Teachers on LIVE
- PC Names O’Connor Director of Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers
