Full Citation

Title: New Measures of Teachers’ Work Hours and Implications for Wage Comparisons

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2014

ISBN:

ISSN: 1557-3060

DOI: 10.1162/EDFP_a_00133

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Abstract: Researchers have good data on teachers' annual salaries but a hazy understanding of teachers' hours of work. This makes it di$ffcult to calculate an accurate hourly wage and leads policy makers to default to anecdote rather than fact when debating teacher pay. Those who argue that teachers are overpaid point to a short contractual work day and year. Those who argue that teachers are overworked point to unpaid evenings, weekends and summers spent planning, grading and helping with extra curricular activities. Time diary data has the potential to settle this debate. Using data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), I find that teachers work an average of 34.5 hours per week on an annual basis (approximately 38.0 hours per week during the school year and 21.5 hours per week during the summer months). I find that when hours per week are accurately accounted for high school teachers earn in the range of 7-14% less than demographically similar workers in other occupations, however, elementary, middle and special education teachers earn higher wages than demographically similar workers in other occupations.

Url: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/10.1162/EDFP_a_00133

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Authors: West, Kristine L.

Periodical (Full): Education Finance and Policy

Issue: 3

Volume: 9

Pages: 231-263

Data Collections: IPUMS Time Use - ATUS

Topics: Education, Labor Force and Occupational Structure

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