Incentive Pay for Teachers Is an Option (Take 2)

An October 2007 post on this blog highlighted ASCD's support of optional incentive pay to get teachers and school leaders into hard-to-staff schools, a measure that has been proposed as part of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

The latest issue of ASCD Infobrief, titled "Rewarding Educators," continues that discussion.   

In particular, the brief addresses concerns about awarding bonuses based on a single test score, which could potentially lead teachers to teach to the test, as well as concerns about the evaluation process and the procedure for determining educator rewards.

ASCD supports the concept of merit and incentive pay and believes that local school districts should have this option to attract the best and brightest educators. We believe schools should have the support and resources to pay incentives or bonuses to educators who increase student achievement or teach in high-poverty, high-need districts. (See "Teachers and School Leaders" in the 2008 ASCD Legislative Agenda.)

The decision to employ merit and incentive pay programs, however, must be determined locally, and all stakeholders must be involved in the program's development and implementation. Above all, the goal for any incentive program must be a focus on the education of the whole child.

This brief address the following questions:

• Do merit and incentive pay programs lead to increased student achievement, and is there a causal relationship?
• What do the critics say about these programs?
• What are some effective measurement tools or reviews that provide an accurate evaluation for educators to receive bonuses?
• How can these programs help get the best educators in front of the neediest students?

Please read the latest Infobrief, and share your comments with us here.