Merit Pay

MANIFESTO

The notion of merit pay for teachers has started to rear its head again. This certainly isn't surprising to me, since Obama broached the issue last year and also in 2007.

Be that as it may, it's a facile solution to various (for the most part, urban) areas' educational shortcomings. I certainly don't believe that all teachers are good in the classroom, and perforce I don't believe that all teachers' positions should be sacrosanct. As Obama so glibly puts it: "I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences." Well, don't we all? (And it'll be interesting to see just how assiduously the Obamans demonstrate this stance as they investigate various felonious financial mavens--and various Bushies, for that matter.)

Nevertheless, teachers being hired today are the cream of the crop. With no teacher shortage, principals and other administrators can choose from a plethora of outstanding candidates. Thus, it's unlikely that the system is rewarding failure, since teachers aren't failing their students.

If anything, this is an administrative issue. I.e., if a teacher is somehow not cutting it, it's up to her supervisor to get her the heck out of the building. No amount of financial incentive will change her performance.

Another aspect of this, which Obama appears not to have even considered, is what to do with other contracted personnel, such as librarians and guidance counselors, who stand to gain nothing by his suggestion. It seems at the least unfair that only a portion of a school system's bargaining unit would be eligible for a bonus; the working conditions portion of a contract might get pretty interesting.

Moreover, with schools laying off teachers to an alarming degree, it's problematic as to whether school districts will have the funds (or willingness) to give teachers more money than they're contracted to receive.

And it's long been known that a high correlation exists between family income and success on standardized tests. Thus, any attempt to improve scores in lower socioeconomic venues will be difficult at best.

Teachers' unions aren't rejecting the idea out of hand, and so there are a lot of miles to go before we sleep on this issue.