Resources

Living Wage Lobbying Guide 
A guide that starts with findings from a Northwest Area Foundation survey on the public's attitudes towards poverty in the community.

Get it in Writing
The right job description can make all the difference in how ESPs are viewed—and paid.

The Lowdown on Living Wage Campaigns
A short report that provides background on living wage campaigns and NEA's involvement with these efforts.

National Salary Stats
The average education support professional earns $26,313 a year, but numbers vary across job categories. Get the stats here.

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T: That's What Professional Pay Means to Me!"
NEA President Reg Weaver discusses NEA's nationwide salary campaign. Working in public schools is not an act of charity, Weaver says, and educators should not have to sacrifice their families' needs when they choose a career in public education. NEA Today, March 2007.

"The Bill's Come Due"
Because of low pay, increasing numbers of teachers and support professionals are moonlighting or just struggling to get by -- and many are leaving public schools altogether. Time for a change? Educators say "you bet." NEA Today, October 2005

ESPs on nea.org
NEA's web site has a wealth of information about and for education support professionals, including detailed descriptions and facts about the nine major ESP job categories.

Rankings and Estimates Update: A Report on School Statistics  (PDF, 215K, 8 pages )
Rankings and Estimates publications present selected education statistics using information provided by state education agencies and analyzed by NEA researchers. The report, released in December 2005, is an update to the full Rankings of the States 2004 & Estimates of School Statistics 2005    (PDF, 1MB, 129 pages) that came out in June 2005. 

Organizations Interested in Pay Issues

ACORN’s Living Wage Resource Center
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) offers a brief history of the national living wage movement, background materials such as ordinance summaries and comparisons, drafting tips, research summaries, talking points, and links to other living wage-related sites.

Jobs with Justice
Jobs with Justice works to improve working people's standard of living, fight for job security, and protect workers' right to organize. Visit the JwJ web site for the latest news on workplace and community social justice campaigns.

Educator Compensation Institute
Educator Compensation Institute is a comprehensive information clearinghouse and research organization for issues related to educator compensation, particularly alternative compensation.