69ý

Opinion
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor

Some Why-and-How Questions on Teacher Merit Pay

August 25, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

To the Editor:

Some experts and educational economists would have us believe that rewarding “high performing” teachers with merit pay could improve student achievement. Why? Isn’t using value-added modeling to tie teacher performance directly to student achievement a way to expose those educators who are underperforming in comparison with their peers?

I’m not certain that an educational economist has ever set foot in a classroom or gotten a feel for the countless factors that make up effective teaching and learning. I would venture a guess that most, if not all, have not. But the daily reality for us as leaders in our schools is to make sense of our whole situation and decide how to accomplish what we believe is right for our learning communities.

Consider the following questions: What would happen if I were a principal and did not offer ongoing professional development for my faculty and staff? Will the economic background and need of the students in several classes affect the value-added metrics (or evaluation scores) for those teachers? How will student and teacher attendance rates affect merit pay?

Other questions arise, as well: How does one handle the issues of teacher competition that may be associated with merit pay? What happens in the special education classroom if the students don’t reach a certain level of proficiency by the end of the school year? What are the variables used to determine merit pay at urban, rural, and suburban schools? Are they the same? Should they be? How do we keep educators intrinsically motivated by extrinsic factors? How do district demographics impact merit pay for teachers? What about specialization in certain subject areas?

Tanya Fletcher

Music Educator

Penfield Central School District

Penfield, N.Y.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the August 26, 2015 edition of Education Week as Some Why-and-How Questions On Teacher Merit Pay

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teaching Profession Opinion Teacher Contracts Need to Change. And It’s Not Just About Money
If we want to retain effective teaches, we should increase teacher compensation—but we need to do it strategically.
Karen Hawley Miles & David Rosenberg
4 min read
Final Piece Of The Puzzle. Two people about to shake hands over trading a jigsaw puzzle piece needed for the solution.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Teachers Say the Public Views Them Negatively
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
2 min read
survey teachers static
via Canva
Teaching Profession Download Play Teacher TV Bingo and Spot All the Teacher Tropes
It's trope bingo; spot the common (and often annoying) mischaracterizations.
Image of bingo cards, a remote control, and a television.
via Canva
Teaching Profession Fictional Teachers on TV Can Skew Public Perception
Media tropes about teachers can give incoming educators and the public unrealistic expectations about the profession.
5 min read
Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Quinta Brunson, and Tyler James Williams play teachers on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” Teachers say the show resonates with their experience.
Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Quinta Brunson, and Tyler James Williams play teachers on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” Teachers say the show resonates with their experience, but researchers say many other portrayals of teachers are flawed.
Gilles Mingasson/ABC