To improve its public schools, the United States should raise the status of the teaching profession by recruiting more qualified candidates, training them better and paying them more, according to a new report on comparative educational systems.<\/p>\n
Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the international achievement test known by its acronym Pisa, says in his report that top-scoring countries like Korea, Singapore and Finland recruit only high-performing college graduates for teaching positions, support them with mentoring and other help in the classroom, and take steps to raise respect for the profession.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeaching in the U.S. is unfortunately no longer a high-status occupation,\u201d\u009d Mr. Schleicher says in the report, prepared in advance of an educational conference that opens in New York on Wednesday. \u201cDespite the characterization of some that teaching is an easy job, with short hours and summers off, the fact is that successful, dedicated teachers in the U.S. work long hours for little pay and, in many cases, insufficient support from their leadership.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n