Why merit pay for teachers doesn’t work

Valerie Strauss
"why merit pay for teachers doesn’t work"
Washington Post
March 30, 2011

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/ravitch_why_merit_pay_for_teachers_doesnt_work/2011/03/29/AFn5w9yB_blog.html?wprss=rss_educationTopic: Teacher Pay/Compensation

Another article about how merit pay for teachers is bad.

Key Points: She lists a few more references to back up her claims which are useful if you want to take up her side of the argument.
OK, it’s the same thing we have already talked about. I do agree that there is a lot to be gained by synergy or collaborative efforts but, aren’t there other awards and recognition that individuals receive and compete for? Grants, etc… Why are these things not under intellectual attack as well? If the idea is to enhance teams, why not restructure bonuses so that they are tied to a whole department at a school so say, if the test scores or whatever measure you want to use are good enough, everyone on the team gets a bonus. They keep saying “data shows” that this incentive stuff doesn’t work, but a nice bonus for a job well done sounds good to me personally, especially if it were awarded not only to me but my team. Is there anyone here who doesn’t want to be paid more and have a chance at a nice bonus? Why is that so bad and who loses? If you aren’t motivated by higher pay or bonuses…then why ask for it, expect it, or complain about low pay? Everyone should be happy right? Time to shift the paradigm of the crowd.
Relevance: Teacher compensation is an interesting topic in this community because so much of the mainstream philosophy is not profit or competition oriented. Yet, I have not sat in a teacher lounge yet where the teachers were satisfied with their pay and didn’t want more.

Older teachers would get help to retire early under Senate measure

“Older teachers would get help to retire early under Senate measure” by Andrew Garber
The Seattle Times, Olympia Bureau
Published 2/22/11
Retrieved 2/27/11
Complete URL: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014303070_teachers23m.html
Intended Audience: teachers

Summary: A new bill proposes to give financial incentive to help older teachers more easily transition into retirement at an earlier age (approximately 3 years earlier). The bill would provide a $250 monthly stipend to help cover medical expenses before they become eligible for Medicare. Supporters of the bill predict these expenses will be offset by replacing newer, lower-paid teachers with the more experienced, higher-paid teachers who retire early. The salary difference between new teachers and veterans is reported to be around $23,000.

Key Point: Older, higher-paid teachers will receive financial support to retire early.

Relevance: Allowing – or encouraging – older teachers to retire early creates more room in the job market for new teachers. Not sure how else to say it, relevance is pretty self-explanatory in this case.