Kudos to the Sun-Times for this analysis. Consider this:

Just seven of the top 25 elementary districts for highest-paid teachers also made the top 25 in student achievement scores -- an issue that has drawn the attention of the Obama administration, which is proposing to link teacher pay to student performance.

Which makes sense when you consider pay is largely based on this:

As things stand now, though, teacher pay is determined largely by seniority and whether a teacher has an advanced degree.

Another key factor: property values, which, in some cases, can result in higher tax revenue. But there are many exceptions, including prosperous Bannockburn. Teachers in Bannockburn District 106 make close to $53,000 on average -- at the low end of the scale for such a well-off community.

I am surprised that the Obama Administration is going beyond lip-service, for now, when it comes to tying pay to performance for teachers. Let's see if this continues as the teacher's unions start pushing back.