Alaska teachers make an average of $65,468 a year, making them the sixth highest paid teachers in the nation (seventh if you include DC). New York ($75,279) is the highest and South Dakota ($39,580) the lowest, and the national average is $56,383.
Outside of family influence, teacher quality is generally recognized as the biggest influence on how well kids learn. The question (that we are too lazy to answer here) is what we get for that investment. Standardized test scores, dropout rates, graduation rates and advanced placement class-taking are all indicators of student learning.
For example, Alaskan students score roughly average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
