Some racially biased teachers may think good schools are those with few minority pupils. But teachers may also want to work closer to home, or seek easier jobs with pupils more ready to learn. As teachers age, desires for lighter burdens are normal. These are good reasons to honor seniority. There is a better way to move good teachers to difficult schools.
Market forces suggest raising salaries at sites that are hard to staff.
Then, experienced teachers will want to move into difficult schools, not out of them. But big boosts are needed. Rudy Crew, the former chancellor of New York City schools, offered a 15 percent bonus to volunteers for the lowest-scoring schools, but still could not fill the jobs. Pay differentials can also solve science, bilingual and special-education shortages. Higher pay would lure mathematicians to teaching and encourage more undergraduates to major in math.