SLU Experts Contribute to Research on Teacher Pay Reform, Early Teacher Pipeline
06/13/2025
Current and former researchers with ties to Saint Louis University have collaborated to explore pressing issues surrounding teacher pay reform and its role in strengthening the early teacher pipeline.
A new article published in Kappan titled “Pay Reform and the Early Teacher Pipeline,” examines the growing impact of teacher shortages and outlines policy solutions to improve recruitment and retention in the education workforce. Former SLU faculty member J. Cameron Anglum led the effort, co-authoring the article with his former SLU graduate student Jennifer Gontram, a Ph.D. candidate in education policy and equity, and Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean of the SLU School of Education.
Anglum is now an assistant professor of education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Dylan Young, a Ph.D. student in school psychology at Lehigh, also contributed to the study. The collaboration reflects SLU’s enduring commitment to policy-relevant research that addresses today’s most urgent educational challenges.
The article explores how salary expectations and recent education-funding policies influence the early teacher pipeline, particularly in the context of rising inflation, the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funding, and ongoing efforts to increase minimum teacher salaries. This timely research sheds light on the economic pressures shaping prospective educators’ decisions and offers insight into how targeted reforms could help strengthen the profession.
The authors emphasize that low starting salaries continue to be a major barrier to attracting and retaining teachers — particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds. As shortages reach critical levels nationwide, the article calls for bold pay reforms, stronger teacher preparation programs, and better support systems for early-career educators.
“In order to build a sustainable, diverse, and qualified teaching workforce, we need to address the systemic barriers that have long plagued the profession — starting with equitable pay and better support for new teachers,” Ritter said.
Saint Louis University remains a leader in confronting education policy challenges and advancing reforms that promote equity, access and excellence across the education system.
To read the full article and learn more about the research findings, visit Kappan Online.