Look Dad, my science teacher is selling stereos at Circuit City!

Dave Eggers, acclaimed author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, son and brother of teachers, co-founder of writing centers in New York and San Francisco, and passionate education advocate, joins forces with teachers Ninive Clements Calegari and journalist Daniel Moulthrop to examine a national scandal that affects us all. Many teachers today must work two or more jobs to survive; they can’t afford to buy homes or raise families. Why are they paid so poorly? How is this related to student achievement? And how can we find ways to treat them like the professionals they are?

Teachers Have It Easy examines how bad policy intersects with teachers’ lives. Interweaving teachers’ voices from across the country with hard-hitting facts and figures, the book is a clear-eyed view of the harsh realities of public school teaching, without any chicken-soup-for-the-soul success stories. With a look at the problems of recruitment and retention, the myths of short workdays and endless summer vacations, the realities of the work week, and shocking examples of how society views America’s teachers, Teachers Have It Easy explores why salary reform may be the best way to improve public education and examines how innovative compensation plans can transform schools.