States
Do states incentivize teaching in high-need schools through differential pay?
Yes: AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, HI, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MT, NC, NV, NY, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY
No: AZ, CT, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MO, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OR, PA, RI, SD, VT
Footnotes
AK: With use of ESSER funds.
KY: Not currently funded.
LA: Not currently funded
MN: For teachers in Q Comp districts.
NV: Districts must offer incentives to teach at "turnaround schools" which can include salary increases.
OH: Not currently implemented or funded.
SC: The Rural Recruitment Initiative (RRI) is designed to assist underserved LEAs with excessive turnover rates in recruiting and retaining teachers. Funding received by districts have been used for recruitment and retention incentives, salary supplements for critical needs areas, and salary supplements and professional development for beginning teacher mentors
Do states incentivize teaching in high-need schools through loan forgiveness?
Yes: AK, AR, CO, DE, ID, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, NY, PA, SC, TX, WI
No: AL, AZ, CA, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NV, OH, OK, OR, RI, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WY
Footnotes
AK: Up to 100% loan forgiveness for teaching at a rural school.
CT: Connecticut offers mortgage assistance for teachers in high-need schools and of shortage subject areas. New legislation provides interest rate subsidies to those teaching in Connecticut’s 33 highest need school districts.
MN: The state's ESSER plan references a Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment program to work in shortage areas or rural schools.
MO: Four-year scholarship covering 100% of tuition and fees.
PA: Not currently funded.
Do states incentivize teaching in shortage subject areas through differential pay?
Yes: AK, AL, AR, CA, DC, FL, GA, HI, IN, KY, LA, MN, NC, NY, OH, OK, SC, TN, UT, VA, WA, WV
No: AZ, CO, CT, DE, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, VT, WI, WY
Footnotes
AK: With use of ESSER funds.
AR: Not currently funded.
KY: Not currently funded.
LA: Not currently funded
MN: For teachers in Q Comp districts.
NY: Tuition reimbursement.
OH: Not currently implemented or funded.
SC: The Rural Recruitment Initiative (RRI) is designed to assist underserved LEAs with excessive turnover rates in recruiting and retaining teachers. Funding received by districts have been used for recruitment and retention incentives, salary supplements for critical needs areas, and salary supplements and professional development for beginning teacher mentors
Do states incentivize teaching in shortage subject areas through loan forgiveness?
Yes: AL, CA, CO, DE, MD, MN, MT, NC, NE, NM, NY, OK, PA, SC, SD, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
No: AK, AR, AZ, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MO, MS, ND, NH, NJ, NV, OH, OR, RI, TN, UT
Footnotes
CT: Connecticut offers mortgage assistance for teachers in high-need schools and of shortage subject areas.
MN: The state's ESSER plan references a Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment program to work in shortage areas or rural schools.
NY: Tuition reimbursement.
PA: Not currently funded.
VT: Not currently funded
Updated: March 2021
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How we graded
8B: High-Need Schools and Subjects
- Shortage-Subject Areas: The state should support differential pay for effective teaching in shortage-subject areas.
- High-Need Schools: The state should support differential pay for effective teaching in high-need schools.
One-half of the total goal score is earned based on the following:
- One-half credit: The state will earn one-half of a point if it explicitly supports differential pay in subject areas where there is a demonstrated educator shortage.
- One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if it partially supports differential benefits in subject areas where there is a demonstrated educator shortage (e.g., tuition reimbursement).
One-half of the total goal score is earned based on the following:
- One-half credit: The state will earn one-half of a point if it explicitly supports differential pay for teachers in high-need schools.
- One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if it partially supports differential benefits for teachers in high-need schools (e.g., tuition reimbursement).
Research rationale
States should help address chronic shortages and needs. States should ensure that state-level policies (such as a uniform salary schedule) do not interfere with districts' flexibility in compensating teachers in ways that best meet their individual needs and resources. However, when it comes to addressing chronic shortages, states should do more than simply get out of the way. They should provide direct support for differential pay for effective teaching in shortage subject areas and high-need schools.[1] Attracting effective and qualified teachers to high-need schools or filling vacancies in hard-to-staff subjects are problems that are frequently beyond a district's ability to solve. States that provide direct support for differential pay in these areas are taking an important step in promoting the equitable distribution of quality teachers.[2] Short of providing direct support, states can also use policy levers to indicate to districts that differential pay is not only permissible but necessary.
[1] For research that suggests high performing teachers tend to transfer to schools with a large proportion of other high performing teachers and students, while low performing teachers cluster in bottom quartile schools, see: Feng, L., & Sass, T. R. (2016). Teacher quality and teacher mobility. Education Finance and Policy. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/1001506-teacher-quality-teacher-mobility.pdf; Another study found that the least effective teachers in high-poverty schools were considerably less effective than the least effective teachers in low-poverty schools. See: Sass, T. R., Hannaway, J., Xu, Z., Figlio, D. N., & Feng, L. (2012). Value added of teachers in high-poverty schools and lower poverty schools. Journal of Urban Economics, 72(2), 104-122. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001469-calder-working-paper-52.pdf
[2] Clotfelter, C., Glennie, E., Ladd, H., & Vigdor, J. (2008). Would higher salaries keep teachers in high-poverty schools? Evidence from a policy intervention in North Carolina. Journal of Public Economics, 92(5), 1352-1370. Retrieved from
Would Higher Salaries Keep Teachers in High-Poverty Schools? Evidence from a Policy Intervention in North Carolina; Kowal, J., Hassel, B. C., & Hassel, E. A. (2008). Financial incentives for hard-to-staff positions. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2008/11/pdf/hard_to_staff.pdf; A study by researchers at RAND found that higher pay lowered attrition, and the effect was stronger in high-needs school districts. Every $1,000 increase was estimated to decrease attrition by more than 6 percent. See: Kirby, S. N., Berends, M., & Naftel, S. (1999). Supply and demand of minority teachers in Texas: Problems and prospects. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 21(1), 47-66.