Utah's Performance
Ungraded
Why does this matter?
Research shows that better pay attracts teachers to hard-to-staff schools1 and subjects.2 Despite its potential to alleviate teacher shortages and increase students’ access to effective teachers, differentiated pay remains underused. To be effective, research suggests that differential pay needs to be at least 7.5% of a teacher’s salary, or around roughly $5,000.3
Why does Utah stand out?
Utah incentivizes teaching in high-need schools and subject areas through differential pay.
Utah’s school districts offer some of the largest bonuses to effective teachers in hard-to-staff schools or subjects among our sample of the largest districts in the U.S. Through the state’s “Effective Teachers in High Poverty Schools” program (ETHPS), a district can apply on behalf of an eligible general or special education teacher in grades K-8 to earn a bonus up to $7,000 annually. The district and the state board of education each pay half of the bonus.
What are the key actions Utah
should take?
See what these exemplars are doing in this policy area:
Key Resources
State of the States 2022: Teacher Compensation Strategies
Explore NCTQ’s detailed state analysis of teacher compensation strategies.
Smart Money 2.0
Uncover teachers' salaries across 90 districts nationwide, learn about strategies to increase pay, and discover missed opportunities for raising compensation and improving outcomes.
References
- Hard-to-staff schools include but are not limited to schools designated as “high-need,” which are most commonly defined as those schools with the lowest student performance or the highest rates of students living in poverty.
- Glazerman, S., Protik, A., Teh, B. R., Bruch, J., & Max, J. (2013). Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers: Final Results from a Multisite Randomized Experiment. NCEE 2014-4003. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.
- Pham, L. D., Nguyen, T. D., & Springer, M. G. (2020). Teacher Merit Pay: A Meta-Analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 0002831220905580.
- https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/
- Cowan, J., & Goldhaber, D. (2018). Do bonuses affect teacher staffing and student achievement in high poverty schools? Evidence from an incentive for national board certified teachers in Washington State. Economics of Education Review, 65, 138-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.06.010.; Swain, W. A., Rodriguez, L. A., & Springer, M. G. (2019). Selective retention bonuses for highly effective teachers in high poverty schools: Evidence from Tennessee. Economics of Education Review, 68, 148-160.
- Sheehy, M. (2024, June 6). More districts are paying teachers strategically to meet critical needs. Is yours? National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). https://www.nctq.org/blog/More-districts-are-paying-teachers-strategically-to-meet-critical-needs.-Is-yours
- Hayashi, K. (2022, January 20). Presentation on Teacher Positions Filled; 5-Year Teacher Retention Rates; and Effectiveness of Teacher Shortage Differentials in the Areas of Special Education, Hard-to-Staff, and Hawaiian Language Immersion Programs on Teacher Vacancies and Retention. https://boe.hawaii.gov/Meetings/Notices/Meeting%20Material%20Library/HR_1202022_%20Presentation%20on%20Teacher%20Positions.pdf#page=3