How the Data was Generated
As outlined in the Executive Summary and Technical Notes section of the 2024 Rankings and Estimates Report by the National Education Association (NEA), the data was generated using a combination of primary and supplemental sources. The primary data came from each individual state’s department of education submissions, which provided both historical data and estimates for current and future school years. To address discrepancies or gaps in the data, additional supplemental sources were implemented. For example, the NEA used Research Time-Series Analysis to create statistical models that could project estimates based on historical trends. Additional supplemental sources included were the American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate average salaries and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for non-salary data. To account for the financial impact of COVID-19, the NEA also used data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund Transparency portal to refine revenue and expenditure estimates. Lastly, the NEA submitted their estimates to state education departments for verification and corrections. As a result, this comprehensive approach allowed the NEA to produce a detailed and accurate representation of the estimates and rankings across the U.S.
The original sources
The original sources for our data on average teacher salary per state are NEA Rankings & Estimates. NEA is the national education association, a private employee group that provides support to teachers, students, parents, and anyone involved in education. It has 9000 delegates who are elected by their 3 million members. They are a diverse group who support any and all students. Because of their diverse and very large membership group data collected is from a well rounded and unbiased sample group. Our main data is from NEA, and we believe they are a good source because of how closely they are related to students and schools, and they are a private group so they are unaffected by state bias.
What organization funded the creation of the dataset
The dataset featured in the NEA’s “Rankings of the States 2023 and Estimates of School Statistics 2024” report was compiled and published by the National Education Association (NEA) through its internal research division, NEA Research. The NEA is a member-funded organization, primarily supported by dues from its approximately 3 million members, which include educators and education professionals across the United States. The data collection process for this report involves NEA Research conducting annual surveys of state departments of education. This information is supplemented with data from NEA’s state affiliates and publicly available federal and state datasets. The NEA then analyzes and compiles this data into the final report. There is no indication that the dataset was funded by any external organizations or third-party entities. The NEA produces this report as part of its mission to support public education and advocate for educators nationwide.
What information is left out
The spreadsheet does not include additional data that could explain some of the information. It does not include things such as income disparity (of students/the community) which could explain some differences between the states. It does not include other supplemental information that may not be easily quantifiable. Qualitative Indicators: Job satisfaction, teacher morale, work conditions, and professional development support are absent from the numbers. Demographic Data: Without race, gender, or age breakdowns, the dataset cannot address how compensation practices might intersect with equity issues.
What information, events, or phenomena our dataset can illuminate
Our dataset can illuminate information about how the US education system reacts to significant shifts and issues. For example the data may reflect similarities in different states based on political affiliations. Additionally the dataset
may reveal issues caused by COVID and its lasting effects on a growing generation of students. The dataset has a good time frame so we can accurately see trends that may have been caused by COVID and other similar events.
Trends Over Time
Because it reports on multiple years, we can observe whether certain states are consistently among the top or bottom in teacher pay and how national averages are shifting.
The ideological effects of the way in which our sources have been divided into data
The main dataset provides estimates on the average salaries of public school teachers by state, salary in 2022-2023, salary in 2023-2024, as well as the percent change, current dollar from 2023-2024, and constant dollar from 2015-2024. The information left out of this specific dataset include measures of average instructors per public school, average number of students per instructors, seniority of instructors, pay of instructor by subject, and average income of neighborhoods from which this data is gathered. If this dataset was the only source for this project, the data would not reflect realities of different neighborhoods paying different amounts, the demographics, or number of students
per educator. The dataset places income as the only metric of comparison across states.