Teaching is the profession that enables all other professions. And teachers deserve respect. That's why, as your Secretary of Education, I'm pushing for what I call a focus on "the ABCs of the teaching profession." Agency. Better Working Conditions. Competitive Salary. That's what President Biden and I are fighting for. Agency means making sure you're part of conversations that impact the work you do. Thriving school communities incorporate the voices of teachers along with students, families, and school leaders. Agency means treating you as professionals with pathways to advance in your career, and earn more, while still doing what you love—teaching. Competitive salary means recognizing that no one pursues a career in education to get rich, but no teacher should qualify for your state welfare program. In the last 25 years, wages for college graduates have gone up by 28 percent while weekly wages for teachers have gone up by a measly 2 percent. That's an increase of $29 per week for teachers, and a $445 Better working conditions means giving you the support you need to do your job effectively, including time for planning and collaboration with your peers. And it means finally moving past "one-and-done" professional development and prioritizing jobembedded learning, coaching, and mentoring. increase for other professionals with college degrees. It can feel sometimes like a teacher tax. You deserve better.
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