Across the country, schools face persistent teacher shortages—especially in high-need subjects like STEM, special education, and bilingual education, and in schools serving large numbers of low-income students. These shortages deepen inequities in student opportunity and funding, yet too little is being done to confront the root causes.
A new joint analysis from Education Reform Now (ERN) and the National Parents Union (NPU) points to a promising model from a parallel, unionized profession: nursing. Our comparative study of compensation systems in teaching and nursing reveals stark differences—and valuable lessons.
Despite similarities in workforce demographics, education requirements, and even shared union representation through the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the two professions diverge sharply when it comes to pay. Our review of six matched AFT teacher and nursing contracts across three states found that while differentiated pay in teaching is rare, limited, and often symbolic, in nursing it is common, accessible, and substantial—with clear incentives for taking on hard-to-staff assignments.