U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley on Tuesday called for school districts to make teaching a year-round profession with higher pay. He did not suggest that students attend classes year round. But he said teachers need to be paid more and be asked to use summer months for training and teaching summer school for those students who do need extra classtime. Mississippi has 33,000 teachers. Currently, Mississippi teachers are on minimum 187-day contracts, with 180 in the classroom.
Individual districts can require more, but teachers are paid for the extra days.
Various states have various requirements. I love the idea of training. I think that would be great. However, Thompson said many teachers choose the profession specifically so they can be off in the summer with their children. I believe that making teaching a year-round profession is the future of American education.