High-Need Schools and Subjects: Maryland
Teacher Compensation Policy
Analysis of Maryland's policies
Shortage-Subject Areas: Maryland does not support differential pay by which a teacher can earn additional compensation by teaching certain subjects; however, the state does offer a program of tuition reimbursement for retraining in the areas of mathematics and science if the teacher agrees to teach in the public school system for at least two years following certification. Also, Maryland has adopted an Alternative Teaching Program, where candidates enrolled in an alternative teacher preparation program can earn a per diem stipend by agreeing to teach mathematics, science, or special education in a state public school for at least three years. However, this program has never been funded.
High-Need Schools: Maryland offers an annual $4,000 stipend for teachers who are National Board Certified and working in schools
designated as "having comprehensive needs." A stipend of up to $1,000 is
available for National Board Certified teachers working in a school without
comprehensive needs.
Also, the Commission on Innovation and Excellence (the "Kirwan Commission") has recommended funding the teaching fellows scholarship that applies to prospective teachers who commit to teaching in high-need Maryland schools.
Recommendations for Maryland
Expand
differential pay initiative for teachers in shortage-subject areas.
Although the state's tuition reimbursement program is a
desirable recruitment and retention tool for teachers early in their careers,
Maryland should expand its program to include those who are already part of the
teaching pool. A salary differential is an attractive incentive for every
teacher.
Prioritize funding for teaching in shortage-subject areas.
Maryland has articulated policy to support differential pay and should therefore prioritize funding for teachers who teach in shortage-subject areas.
State response to our analysis
Maryland recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that teacher compensation remains a function of the local school systems.
Updated: March 2021
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Maryland
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Teacher Preparation
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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.