Six-Figure Teachers

Zeke Vanderhoek believes you get what you pay for—even in education. That’s why this former middle school teacher is launching the Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, a middle school in upper Manhattan where teachers will make six-figure incomes, this fall. We caught up with him to ask why he thinks his vision will succeed.
How did you decide to pay teachers $125,000 a year?
This is not an original idea. Many people since the beginning of time have said we’ve got to pay teachers. When I wrote the charter I looked at our budget, and I wanted to see if we could value teachers without lip service. Teacher quality is essential to student achievement. What is the way to get great people? First, you have to pay people according to their talent. Two, you have to provide an environment where you give them freedom and autonomy. They have one-year contracts, and they operate like they’re in any other job. They don’t have tenure, and they’re evaluated based on performance. more » » »