I wonder if this is the sort of thing that could be fixed by paying teachers more. Why would a smart person become a teacher if a professional industry job will pay $300-500k and a teaching job will pay $100k? Is paying teachers so much even palatable to the general public?
salaries top out around 70K. That's ending salary, not starting salary.
And yes, this could be fixed by paying teachers more. And treating the profession with some respect.
I wanted to go into teaching but stopped after I realized what that would mean for my long term earnings. Even with time taken off as a stay at home parent and time spent working in the developing world, I’m getting close to the lifetime earnings for teachers who progress in their careers. In less than a decade of working.
1. Students with chronic behavior problems are easier to throw out
2. Parents are less likely to go on idiotic crusades about the content of the curriculum
3. The school board (or, more likely, the state legislature) isn't going to make irrelevant changes to appease voters
Private schools are more likely to treat their teachers as independent professionals rather than glorified babysitters or McEducation employees.