In every state except North Carolina, I believe, public school teachers who obtain a MA degree automatically get a boost in pay. The problem is that there is no evidence that having that additional credential actually makes them any better. So argues Mathew Chingos of Brookings in this piece. The automatic pay boost provision does not represent improved performance, but merely good lobbying on the part of the institutions that sell the credentials and teacher unions.

North Carolina dumped its pay bump last year and if Chingos’ piece gets traction, I think we can look forward to other states doing the same. It’s evident that this policy is a waste of tax dollars. And if more states change policy, that will further deflate the higher ed bubble.