Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Nov. 21 2024
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How to Improve Teacher Retention
Only one out of every three K12 public school teachers think that their pay is adequate. Further, low pay is a top source of job-related stress for many educators and a top reason they consider leaving their job. This is especially true among Black teachers.
A new RAND survey takes a closer look at this issue, revealing key insights into teachers' pay, raises, benefits, and expenses:
- At least two-thirds of teachers reported receiving a pay increase between the 20222023 and 20232024 school years, but the amounts were small--just $2,000 on average.
- Black teachers earned lower salaries than other teachers and reported the smallest pay increases.
- One in four teachers nationally were not paid for the extra work that they performed for their school or school system. Black teachers were more likely to say that they performed such work for no pay.
- Teachers in single-earner households spent larger shares of their household incomes on housing, child care, and student debt payments than other working adults in single-earner households.
- Employer-provided benefits that could help teachers pay for major household expenses were uncommon among teachers.
Although larger raises are key to addressing teacher dissatisfaction, increased pay alone won't be enough to improve retention. Our findings also highlight the importance of improving the quality of teachers' benefits, providing benefits that can help with major household expenses, and ensuring that pay is equitable. Specific actions that school systems could consider include providing paid parental leave, increasing transparency by publishing more-detailed information about pay, and ensuring that all types of extracurricular work receive compensation.
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Kim Jong-un's Risky Business in Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has now deployed roughly 12,000 troops to Russia, at least some of whom have reportedly started to engage Ukrainian forces. Kim's decision was a risky one, says RAND's Bruce Bennett. To start, North Korean troops have no modern combat experience, and Russia is likely to use them for mass assaults on Ukraine's frontline positions. This could lead to large numbers of casualties, which would be disastrous for the Kim regime. On the other hand, North Korean forces may help Russia achieve a breakthrough. This could be dire not only for Ukraine, but also for security on the Korean Peninsula. Such a situation might embolden Kim to test his forces against South Korea.
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Rethinking U.S. Policy Toward Haiti
Haiti has not held a true election in almost five years. And earlier this month, yet another Haitian prime minister was ousted, further destabilizing a nation plagued by drugs, gang violence, and human trafficking. According to RAND's Kiki Hunegs and Aaron Davenport, it's time for the United States to rethink its role in Haiti's affairs. Rather than intervening or "blindly" providing aid, Washington could consider several new approaches. Curbing the flow of illicit arms into Haiti, refraining from interfering in the selection of Haitian leaders, offering loans or conditional financial assistance, and empowering the Haitian diaspora could help Haiti chart a course toward resilience and autonomy.
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** RAND Recommends
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- On Marketplace, RAND's Jonathan Welburn says that the world's inflation picture is not terrible. However, there are problems that could worsen inflation, such as ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
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- RAND's Samuel Charap speaks to Vox about implications of the decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep in Russia. He argues that recent events meet "the definition of a tit-for-tat dynamic" between the United States and Russia. This is likely to continue "until somebody gets out of control or somebody decides to stop it."
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- RAND's Wendy Troxel is quoted in TIME: While a nightly "wind-down routine" is important, she says, "how you start your day is just as crucial for setting up a successful night of sleep."
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**Events
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Veteran Families in America
Thursday, December 5, 2024 (Online)
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Policy Lab: AI and the Future of Work
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (Online)
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The RAND/USC OPTIC Method for Policy Expert Ratings
Friday, December 13, 2024 (Online)
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** Apply for RAND's Summer Associate Program
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Are you a graduate student? Do you want to help tackle the world's toughest policy problems? Applications for our Summer Associate Program are now open. Apply by December 2nd for an opportunity to spend summer 2025 at RAND.
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