A record number of teachers gained the top rank in their profession this year, according to a report by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The nationwide total of 4,694 primary and secondary school teachers is nearly twice the amount from last year. The national certification program, which began in 1994, has gained popularity in recent years. States with the highest numbers of nationally certified teachers tend to have the most lucrative incentives. For example, in North Carolina, teachers get a 12 percent raise every year for 10 years, the duration of the certification.
Local districts can choose to add their own perks.
85 percent of unwed mothers are illiterate. 70 percent of Americans arrested are illiterate. 21 million Americans cannot read. For the first time in more than a decade, a majority of Utah's public school teachers will walk off the job December 5, protesting what they say is an inadequate plan for increasing public-education funding. They hope to use the one-day disruption to educate people about the need to come up with permanent ways to increase funding of public education.