I think pay for advanced degrees does need to be looked at. There are many teachers who cannot afford to go back to pay for a masters program, or whose family obligations don't allow the time committment to take classes and still do a great job teaching. That doesn't mean they are less capable teachers. In my experience, some of the best teachers I have worked with had their BA and pursued additional research on their own in order to advance the student populations in their own classrooms in any given year. The innovative strategies these teachers are using to solve problems should be worth compensating when it can be shown that it benefits students. On the flip side, I have worked with teachers with advanced degrees who weren't particularly effective in reaching their students.

Most teachers work so hard and they are so undervalued. For every banker, politician, and president, there was a teacher who motivated/inspired/challenged him or her. Good teachers are worth every penny and more. Advance education achieved by a teacher is positive role modeling.

It is of great merit to hold a postgraduate degree in the educational field. For this reason, I am of the opinion that it should be rewarded with stipends and/or extra pay. Many teachers that do pursue a higher degree foresee an administrative position in their future, but there are many teachers who do so because they want to excel in what they do - teach. These teachers deserve the extra pay.