Extended Year, Extended Contracts

Classrooms across the country are losing many of their best teachers in their first few years of teaching. One of the primary reasons given by teachers for leaving teaching is low salaries. Although teacher pay has increased nearly 20% over the last decade, it still remains lower than for many other professions requiring a similar level of preparation. And because of shifting demographics and a recession-hit economy, it is not likely to rise dramatically in the near future. One option for raising teachers' salaries within the confines of restricted state and local budgets is an extended contract made possible through year-round school schedules. This study reports on such an experiment, looking at issues of teacher satisfaction and burnout in extended-year contracts.

This article was originally published in Urban Education by SAGE Publications.