Experienced teachers can be the
defining factor between a just average and incredible education.
Most people can probably remember at least one teacher who went
beyond the routine and inspired a desire to learn. And there's a
good chance that the teacher had a boatload of experience to lean
on.
Research conducted in 2016 by the Learning Policy Institute illustrated how increased teacher experience can lead to better results for kids. The report combed through 15 years of academic research and found that students learn more - and attend class more often - when there's an experienced teacher in the room.
INSIDER previously determined which states had the least experienced teachers. Now, we've flipped the script and have used US Department of Education data to find which states employ the highest percentage of educators who have taught for at least 20 years.
Two decades might initially seem like an immense amount of time to work one continuous job, yet every state on INSIDER's top 20 list had at least 27% of its teachers doing just that. Talk about commitment!
In addition to years of teaching, INSIDER also determined how much formal education teachers in these states tended to have, and how well they were paid. For some added context, INSIDER also included the national ranking of each state's public school system, as determined by the personal finance site, WalletHub.
Continue scrolling below to see if your state made it into the top 20.
Research conducted in 2016 by the Learning Policy Institute illustrated how increased teacher experience can lead to better results for kids. The report combed through 15 years of academic research and found that students learn more - and attend class more often - when there's an experienced teacher in the room.
INSIDER previously determined which states had the least experienced teachers. Now, we've flipped the script and have used US Department of Education data to find which states employ the highest percentage of educators who have taught for at least 20 years.
Two decades might initially seem like an immense amount of time to work one continuous job, yet every state on INSIDER's top 20 list had at least 27% of its teachers doing just that. Talk about commitment!
In addition to years of teaching, INSIDER also determined how much formal education teachers in these states tended to have, and how well they were paid. For some added context, INSIDER also included the national ranking of each state's public school system, as determined by the personal finance site, WalletHub.
Continue scrolling below to see if your state made it into the top 20.
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| © AP Photo/Stephen J. Boitano |
Total number of teachers in 2012: 46,200
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 26.9%
19: Connecticut’s public school system is ranked third nationally, and 23.8% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © cybrarian77/flickr |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $72,561
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 64.4%
18: 24% of Idaho’s public school teachers have more than 20 years of teaching experience. The state's public school system is ranked 32nd nationally.
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| © John Moore/Getty Images |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $47,504
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 35.3%
17: Virginia’s public school system is ranked fourth nationally, and 25.5% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © woodleywonderworks/flickr |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $51,049
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 41.6%
16: West Virginia’s public school system is ranked 47th nationally, and 26.3% of its teachers have more than 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Darren Hauck/Getty Images |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $45,701
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 43.2%
15: 26.8% of Washington’s teachers have more than 20 years of experience, and the state's education system is ranked 29th nationally
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| © Tim Durkan/Flickr |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $54,147
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 62.9%
14: Ranked 50th, Louisiana has one of the worst public education systems in the country, yet its teachers are still pretty experienced; 26.8% of Louisiana teachers have more than 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Reuters |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $50,000
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 27%
13: 27.3% of teachers in Arkansas have taught for over 20 years. The state's public school system is ranked 41st nationally.
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| © Sean Gallup/Getty Images |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $48,616
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 35%
12: Kansas’ public school system is ranked 20th nationally, and 27.4% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © REUTERS/Eric Gaillard |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $47,984
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 47%
11: New Hampshire's public school system is ranked seventh nationally, and 27.5% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © woodleywonderworks/flickr |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $57,253
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 48.7%
10: 27.6% of Nebraska’s teachers have over 20 years of experience. The state's education system ranks eighth nationally.
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| © Robert Benson/Getty Images |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $52,338
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 45.9%
9: Vermont’s public school system is ranked fifth nationally, and 28% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © US Department of Education/flickr |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $60,187
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 52%
8: 28.3% of Indiana teachers have taught for over 20 years. The state's public school system is ranked 22nd nationally.
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| © Unsplash/Tra Nguyen |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $50,554
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 47.4%
7: Montana’s public school system is ranked 25th nationally, and 28.6% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Unsplash/Tra Nguyen |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $51,422
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 34.6%
6: South Carolina’s public school system is ranked 39th nationally, and 28.9% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Wikimedia Commons |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $48,598
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 57.9%
5: Iowa’s public school system is ranked 14th nationally and 29.2% of its teachers have more than 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © iStock / Getty Images Plus |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $55,443
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 39.7%
4: Maine's public school system is ranked 15th nationally, and 30.6% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © AP |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $51,077
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 42.8%
3: Wyoming’s public school system is ranked 10th nationally, and 32.1% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Reuters |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $58,650
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 41.2%
2: North Dakota’s public school system is ranked ninth nationally, and 32.6% of its teachers have over 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © THINK Global School, CC BY-NC-ND |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $51,618
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 30.1%
1: South Dakota’s public school system is ranked 21st nationally, and 33.7% of its teachers have more than 20 years of teaching experience.
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| © Scott Olson/Getty Images |
Average teacher salary in 2017: $42,668
Percent of teachers with a master's degree in 2012: 26.6%
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