Leadership and Advocacy in Educational Endeavors

TEL 410

Lesson 3: Leadership
Assignment: Signature Assignment Literature Review
Points Available: 100 Points

Literature Review – Educator Salaries

Andrew Simmons
Arizona State University
 Literature Review

Educator salaries have not increased to match educational level or with inflation as well as

increased costs of living. The following articles present a clear representation of why educators are

struggling to remain in their communities and have to ability to provide a positive learning

experience for their students. Each article discusses the different ways educators have fought for

better wages and the struggles of being an educator in both the United States and in Colorado.

Being an educator is an honorable career that fosters the creativity of every child and should be

given an increase in salaries to continue supporting the growth of their students, schools, and

communities. Educators need to be essential individuals who not only provide educational services,

but ensure students have the necessary tools to be successful in their future careers.

Educators in Colorado
The main issue that future and current educators in Colorado face is the low salaries

throughout the state. The average salary for an educator is $36,000, even with experience, and

many educators have second jobs to have a livable income, “One in five Colorado teachers take a job

outside of teaching to make ends meet” (Brundin, 2014). Many educators use personal funds to

provide the necessary supplies for their students and require more assistance to ensure their

classrooms can function. Even in wealthy counties, such as Boulder, Denver, and Broomfield,

educators must use personal time to ensure their classrooms are stocked and ready for each school

day, “The CEA estimates that Colorado teachers spend $656 of their own money for school supplies

for students each year” (Miller, 2018). The issues of school funding and increasing educator salaries

have been constantly debated in the Colorado legislature with a lack of bipartisan support on bills

that would support these initiatives. Without further support, there will be a continued exodus of

educators from Colorado where an educator shortage is already hurting the state’s educational

system.

Educator Salaries Throughout the United States

The issue of low educator salaries affects educators throughout the United States and has

been debated in the federal government to increase school funding, which will help increase
salaries. Historically, salaries for educators have maintained a steady increase along with other

professional careers, due to inflation, but there has been stagnation in how big these increases

are, “Since about 1980, teacher pay in America has lagged comparable employment” (ED100,

2019). Like the educator shortage that is occurring in Colorado, other states have had to change

how they issue certifications to ensure students are not deprived of an education, “‘It's gotten so

bad that the state Department of Education has had to issue emergency teacher certifications to

replace teachers as quickly as possible,’” (Turner, 2018). The lack of assistance in increasing

school funding has placed many school districts in precarious conditions where they need to

choose keeping schools running by cutting jobs and classes or advocating for aid.

Initiatives for Increasing Salaries

Educators are not paid what they are worth or the amount of time they put into their

careers to ensure their students are successful inside and outside of their classrooms. There has

been a renewed push to increase educator salaries throughout the United States and many

legislatures are seeing common ground on this issue, “Several governors have made it a priority

in this legislative session to improve teacher pay in their states” (Litvinov, 2019). In Colorado,

both Democrat and Republican legislators have sought bills that provided some relief to

educators who would benefit from any legislative action, “Senator Paul Lundeen (R-Monument)

introduced Senate Bill 22, which would have potentially provided $2,000 bonuses to the

approximately 50% of Colorado teachers considered “highly effective” via a grant program”

(Naumann, 2019). Education advocacy groups, such as the National Education Association, the

Colorado Education Association in Colorado, and local educators have become the leaders in the

fight for better wages. Walkouts and other forms of protest are a common sight in schools

throughout the United States, but these actions are pushing legislators to make decisions,

“Colorado teachers have joined their peers in Kentucky, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Arizona

in staging protests and walk-outs to bring attention to their cause” (The Denver Post, 2019).
 Conclusion

The fight for better salaries is an ongoing debate in states throughout the United States,

especially in Colorado where a lack of bipartisanship has hampered discussions. It is a known fact

that educator salaries have not increased to match educational levels and experience, even though

the cost of living has surpassed what an educator makes. Through activism and continued

discussions, educators are making their voices heard and there is a renewed drive to pass laws that

increase school funding and salaries to ensure educators stay in their respective communities and

are not forced to leave their careers or look for employment that pays a living wage.
 Leadership Style

During this week’s readings, videos, and assignments, I was able to identify my leadership

style and how it supports my advocacy project. I believe my leadership style is transformational

leadership because when I am leading a project or developing goals, I learn everything I can about

the project or topic and ensure my team understands what is being asked, “transformational

approach to leadership relies on encouraging and motivating followers to participate in molding a

successful future for an organization” (DiFranza, 2019). At my current job, I am in charge of a small

team whose duties are to ensure data, pricing, and material descriptions, among other things, are

successfully transmitted and are visible in North Face stores throughout the United States. I have

had to train new hires as well as complete my own work and I found that when I help my coworker

gain a better understanding of our processes, I feel excited. Our business is constantly evolving to

match consumer habits and we have to evolve with the business to ensure data is not lost or

corrupted and I believe that being a transformational leader supports the ability to be flexible,

“Adapting to rapidly changing technology requires innovation and strong leadership to stay ahead

of the curve and to remain competitive” (White, 2018). This translates to how I am developing my

advocacy project because I must revise and add new information to support my arguments.

As I continue to develop my advocacy project, understanding why there is a need for

advocacy and how I can help those affected helps me define my purpose. Supporting my

transformational leadership style are a few servant leadership traits that have helped me stay focus

and develop a plan that is committed to the growth of others. Listening, empathy,

conceptualization, commitment to growth, and building community all support my advocacy topic

and how my plan will be successful. As a future educator, I needed to gain leadership skills that

went beyond telling others what to do and see how I can help someone reach their potential, “The

servant leader moves beyond the transactional aspects of management, and instead actively seeks

to develop and align an employee's sense of purpose with the company mission” (Tarallo, 2018).
My servant leadership traits and leadership style have assisted how I manage my time and how I

will create goals to complete my project on time and that my plan is clear in its mission.
 References

Brundin, J. (2014, July 25). Colorado teachers struggle with low salaries, report shows.
Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://www.cpr.org/2014/07/25/colorado-teachers-
struggle-with-low-salaries-report-shows/
DiFranza, A. (2019, March 27). Transformational Leadership: How to Inspire Innovation in
the Workplace. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/transformational-leadership/
White, S. K. (2018, February 21). What is transformational leadership? A model for
motivating innovation. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://www.cio.com/article/3257184/what-is-transformational-leadership-a-model-for-
motivating-innovation.html
ED100. (2019, June). Pay: How Has Teacher Pay Changed? Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://ed100.org/lessons/teacherpay
Litvinov, A. (2019, April 29). Teachers across the country are underpaid. Here are 5
governors fighting to change that. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from
https://educationvotes.nea.org/2019/04/29/teachers-across-the-country-are-underpaid-
here-are-5-governors-fighting-to-change-that/
Naumann, S. (2019, May 28). Guest Post: Who fought for teacher pay during the 2019
session? Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2019/05/28/colorado-teacher-pay/
Tarallo, M. (2018, May 17). The Art of Servant Leadership. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-
development/pages/the-art-of-servant-leadership.aspx
The Denver Post. (2019, May 8). Colorado teachers rally for higher pay. Retrieved October
30, 2020, from https://www.journal-advocate.com/2018/04/16/colorado-teachers-rally-
for-higher-pay/
Turner, C. (2018, March 16). The Fight Over Teacher Salaries: A Look At The Numbers.
Retrieved October 29, 2020, from
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/16/592221378/the-fight-over-teacher-
salaries-a-look-at-the-numbers