Argues that if one considers fringe and retirement benefits and the number of hours worked during the year, teachers are not underpaid relative to other professions. Teachers are well paid because of union influence and to compensate them for working in unpleasant environments. Calls for more use of vouchers and more charter schools to reduce…

In the flurry of activity surrounding the implementation of No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) student proficiency mandates, the federal requirement to have a "highly qualified" teacher in every classroom by 2005 seemed like an impossible goal. However, 2005 has come and gone and the highly qualified teacher crisis never happened. In this…