Performance Based Pay: Good or Bad Jean Benson, Maria Ekeren, Robert Flint & Danelle Keninger

Origins of Merit Pay Was born in England around 1710 Teacher salaries were based on student test scores

Merit Pay In America In 1969, President Nixon championed a plan called performance-contracting This plan called for teacher pay to be based on student performance The plan was eventually declared a failure The mid-1970-80’s was the merit pay decade

Performance Contracting – Why did it fail? Failed to produce expected gains Generated damaging educational practices such as falsifying school records and teaching to the test to boost test scores Inability of teachers to use innovative teaching strategies

Why offer Incentive Pay? Federal Government is supporting Merit pay by offering grant monies through the US Department of Education teacher incentive fund Other plans have been approved by voters willing to use tax money to fund initiatives

Goals of Merit Pay The goal is to attract high quality teachers Teachers should be rewarded for the success of their pupils If students are learning at an above proficient level, their teachers should be rewarded

Pros of Merit Pay Current pay scale encourages prolific course taking amongst teachers, diverting energy away from enhancing teaching practices Current pay typically provides few incentives for focusing course work on developing the knowledge and skills needed to enhance performance

Pros of Merit Pay Current system discourages promising young teachers from remaining in the teaching force It takes years of experience and advanced degrees to move up in the pay scale Raises the bar of professionalism in teaching

Pros of Merit Pay Rewarding quality work is a means to change the paradigm so that the best and the brightest are eager to teach Principals must have the authority to make hiring and firing decisions Raising pay levels are key parts of responding to the school-improvement challenge

Pros of Merit Pay Merit pay appears to be working in North Carolina, Dallas and Denver schools

Cons to Merit Pay Teachers are required to take coursework for renewal certification Standards should be established to award teachers for classes taken in their subject areas

Cons to Merit Pay Even if teachers would like larger salaries, they typically aren’t money-driven Studies have shown that merit pay doesn’t have a positive effect on teachers’ classroom work, but instead can have a divisive and damaging effect on a school’s teaching community

Cons to Merit Pay Rewarding teachers based on team leadership and mentorship is a form of compensation Administrative evaluations will be scrutinized by teachers not receiving merit pay A 2000 Public Agenda survey noted that compensations other than money are “significantly more important to most teachers”

There is no “I” in TEAM Display loyalty Be generous Avoid internal politics Value interdependence over independence

Merit Pay won’t work Schools need to remain a community Collaborative effort that takes 13 years to complete All teachers, in all subject areas, are important to students

What is “our” ultimate goal?