When teacher salaries are discussed, two very different pictures often emerge. The first of these portrays teachers as underpaid, overworked servants of the public good. The second paints a picture of an overpaid group of civil servants who spend very little time actually working. This report looks at Michigan teacher salaries. Teacher salaries…

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics are used to look at Michigan's progress in meeting the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that teachers be "highly qualified." The data also allow the study of whether all students in Michigan have access to the highly qualified teachers required by the NCLB.…

The vast majority of Michigan's teachers work above and beyond their required work week; the average teacher works more than 45 hours per week. The time teachers spend outside regular school hours is often ignored by critics who deride the "short hours and long vacations" enjoyed by teachers. When discussing compensation policies and…