Merit Pay for Teachers: Into the Hornet’s Nest

The Economist:

“HORRIBLY divisive” is how Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, describes the recent distribution of $15m in bonuses to teachers in the largest school district in Texas. Most teachers received payments averaging close to $2,000. But an angry minority received none; and everyone learned what everyone else got when the Houston Chronicle’s website published a list of teachers and amounts. Raising hackles further, 100 teachers were asked to return part of their bonuses because a computer glitch had inflated them.
This was Houston’s first year of doling out such bonuses, and its troubles may have prompted the Texas House of Representatives to vote against a statewide merit-pay programme. The idea of merit pay is a good one: teachers should be paid more for teaching better. At the moment, few teachers in America receive bonuses, and their salaries are based mainly on length of service or their degrees. But the system, put in place early in the 20th century, is not working. Jay Greene of the University of Arkansas says that spending per pupil has doubled in the past three decades, while student-achievement measures such as high-school graduation rates are roughly flat.

One thought on “Merit Pay for Teachers: Into the Hornet’s Nest”

  1. Speaking of degrees and pay steps: Many teachers seem to be obtaining the dubious education “masters” degree, apparently obtainable while working full-time–some even while raising families. Although such feats of accomplishment are not impossible, ask a full-time grad student how realistic it is to get a science (or humanities) masters degree while holding down a full-time job, and having a life away from the university. let’s face it. These “degrees” are largely designed to gain pay steps.
    We can’t blame a person for trying to get ahead. However, pointing out how difficult it likely is to give merit raises fairly, does not belie the fact that there are teachers who are highly skilled, make great sacrifices, and make a huge difference in the lives of their students. If they stand head and shoulders above their peers, there should be a way to reward them for their extraordinary effort.
    We need to find a way to do this. And we need to weather the fallout that will inevitably come from recognizing their merit.

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