Teacher Compensation Policy
Shortage-Subject Areas: Oklahoma districts are "encouraged to provide compensation schedules to reflect district policies and circumstances, including differential pay for different subject areas." Teachers of mathematics, science, or other critical-needs areas are eligible for loan forgiveness.
High-Need Schools: Oklahoma supports differential pay for those teaching at high-need schools. "Districts shall be encouraged to provide completed schedules to reflect
district policies and circumstances, including...special incentives for teachers
in districts with specific geographical attributes."
As a result of Oklahoma's strong high-need schools and subjects policies, no recommendations are provided.
Oklahoma had no comment on this goal.
8B: High-Need Schools and Subjects
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.