Financial Incentives

Why does this matter?

As the national conversation around the high cost of college continues, states may consider using strategies that lower the cost of a degree in education. People of color hold higher levels of student debt compared with white college attendees and are more likely to struggle to repay that debt.³ College graduates of color who trained as teachers are also more likely to have taken on student loan debt than their white counterparts.⁴ This high debt burden may push aspiring teachers of color to take another job with higher pay than teaching.

How did we evaluate state policy for this action?

NCTQ analyzed state policy to identify: Does Wisconsin include scholarships targeted to teacher candidates as part of its strategy to increase the teacher workforce?

What are NCTQ’s recommendations for Wisconsin?

• Include targeted scholarships in the state's strategy to increase the racial/ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce

How did Wisconsin respond to NCTQ’s analysis?

The state did not respond to NCTQ’s request to review this analysis for accuracy.

Why does this matter?

Research has documented that taking on higher levels of debt can impact college graduates’ early career decisions, pushing them away from lower-paid “public interest” jobs and into higher-salaried roles.⁵ Black students in particular are more likely to report changing their career plans because of student loan debt.⁶ As such, loan forgiveness programs may serve as an effective incentive to recruit diverse candidates into the education profession.

How did we evaluate state policy for this action?

NCTQ analyzed state policy to identify: Does Wisconsin include loan forgiveness as part of its strategy to increase the teacher workforce?

How did Wisconsin respond to NCTQ’s analysis?

The state did not respond to NCTQ’s request to review this analysis for accuracy.

Why does this matter?

Teachers of color are more likely to work in schools that struggle to attract and retain teachers—often called hard-to-staff schools. Frequently, the schools struggling most to attract and retain teachers serve larger proportions of students of color and students living in poverty—two groups of students that would benefit tremendously from a more diverse and effective cohort of teachers. Given this, states looking to increase and diversify their teacher workforce should consider additional strategies to attract and retain teachers already working in these schools, many of whom are people of color.⁷

How did we evaluate state policy for this action?

NCTQ analyzed state policy to identify: Does Wisconsin provide differentiated pay for “hard-to-staff” schools?

How did Wisconsin respond to NCTQ’s analysis?

The state did not respond to NCTQ’s request to review this analysis for accuracy.