It is well known in education reform circles that highly skilled, motivated and well-compensated teachers can dramatically improve student academic achievement. In fact, this combination is considered a linchpin in schools where the majority of students come from disadvantaged educational backgrounds and need additional help in the classroom.
But accountability and better academic outcomes need not be solely a tactic reserved to improve student achievement in academic and economically disadvantaged schools. They can also elevate competitive respect for the profession, and even in the case of higher performing school districts, raise the bar on excellence.
Overall, merit pay is a win for students and those who teach them. We are pleased that Frisco ISD, a high-performing school district, is moving toward an incentive pay system to reward its best teachers based on student performance, classroom observation and the qualifications of teachers. Districts everywhere need to take this approach.
Across the country, academic achievement is trending the wrong way, according to tests conducted by the respected National Assessment of Educational Progress. And, in general, data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to rank around the middle of the pack, and behind many other advanced industrial nations.
In Dallas ISD, evidence exists that the district’s Teacher Excellence Initiative, an evaluation program that holds teachers accountable and rewards the best with significantly higher pay, is working. Dallas’ pioneering efforts, begun about four years ago, became the template for Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature to push through a measure that allowed districts to obtain funds for teachers if the district developed a pay system based on performance.
Despite such evidence, some teachers associations and unions continue to question whether merit pay could be implemented fairly and improve student scores, or whether merit-based compensation would drive teachers from classrooms. The bottom line is that the best of the best have a reason to stay, and other teachers will have a pathway to become more effective educators.
Frisco is still developing its program, and like any innovation, details matter. The district needs to implement this well and not give in to the temptation to water down the process that encourages rewards for the best teachers. Incentive pay plans wisely acknowledge that good teachers make a difference, and that those teachers should be fairly compensated for their work.
Training a generation of students who can compete with the best of the best is good for the students and for the economy, which needs high-producing graduates. American competitiveness starts in the classroom with high-quality teachers in front of every student.
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