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I have never seen a merit pay plan that I thought was fair. Most plans have the school principal and/or other administrators making the decision as to who is worthy and who isn't. I don't think these people can be objective and fair, simply because teaching is the most complex social activity that there is, and simple measures of effectiveness, like rising test scores, never tell the whole story. Good teaching is an art and a craft that can be improved upon, to be sure, but its complexity and its large affective dimension, makes judging its quality a very daunting task that is beyond the typical school administrator. In addition, merit pay of the sort I've seen is divisive in a school community, contributing to jealousy and charges of favoritism. So, how should teachers be rewarded? Teachers can be rewarded for additional degrees, provided funds for attending professional conferences, for mentoring other teachers or conducting in-service workshops themselves, for producing and sharing instructional materials or modules, and for obtaining Board certification. Teachers unions have historically opposed merit pay and probably for some of the reasons I've cited here. I believe they are right.  Michael Bentley, EdD (Expert Panel member)

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Michael,
Thank you so much for your thoughts. Though it may sound like a good idea from the outset, the actual implementation  of these plans is nightmarish. It smacks of politics and favoritism. What are your thoughts on alternative retention techniques, like the one Barack Obama is proposing? His Teacher Residency Programs would allow individuals completing coursework for teacher certification to serve as apprentices in the classrooms of veteran teachers, as long as they pledged at least three years of service in the sponsoring district. Do you think this would work?

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Johanna -
I think Obama has a good idea, though it doesn't speak to the issue of merit pay. I'm for fresh ideas like Obama's and opposed to the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, which seeks increased achievement using fear and punishment tactics. I agree with you that implementing mertit pay is nightmarish and VERY political!  Michael

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As an educator with 30 plus years, I agree with your assessment of the merit pay situation. In the past administrators have "chosen" who would receive merit pay and were often limited as to the number of merit pay recipients a school could have. There was no consistent, objective criteria for all schools in a district.
 
Criteria/standards for teacher evaluations have become more objective in the last few years, which could provide more objective criteria for merit pay. However, school funding deficits prevent sufficient funding for all excellent (top rated) teachers who deserve it; there simply isn't enough money in school budgets to provide this type of funding. It always seems to be one of the first things struck when budgets face shortfalls.
 
Good teaching is a mix of art and science. With the growing diversity in schools, even a good teacher is stretched to address all the individual student differences and learning styles, while still helping students to achieve the high standards as measured in NCLB. One must know and be able to implement effective strategies and creatively manage a diverse class while moving the "reluctant" learners forward.
 
Your suggestions on how teachers should be awarded are certainly starting points. But, consider this. Good, creative, effective teachers at the secondary level typically see 150 + students a day. A normal work week ranges from 55-65 hours per week. That is before developing curriculum materials, creating/conducting workshops or mentoring new teachers, which are added to a teacher's normal workload. (Although a teacher might receive time away from school to conduct a workshop, most are asked to create the program on their own time, as well as financially providing for any necessary materials for the presentation. Most frequently, teachers are expected to present the workshops after school or on Saturdays---adding hours to the already busy schedule.) To obtain National Board certification, a good teacher must add at least 10 hrs. per week over a seven month period to prepare the documentation for certification. Also, consider that weekends and holidays are often used for grading or additional planning. Some might respond, "But, you have your summers off." However, these individuals don't realize that the 7-9 weeks of summer are used for taking special training, completing college course work, creating curriculum materials for the following year, helping the school district with identified curriculum projects, summer school for students, and, of course, a brief respite for the teachers themselves.  Bottom line, good teachers are asked to do more and more without reasonable compensation for their efforts.
 
It's time to get creative. We are facing a significant teacher shortage across the nation. Evan as we graduate new teachers, there is an increasingly higher turnover of those new to the field---most simply are not able to maintain the "balancing act" required of teachers. And, many who are able to adapt to the pace and demands find themselves in financial distress. Many new teachers who graduate with student loans must face the financial demands of living as an independent adult for the first time. They must finance cars, find affordable housing (often miles away from their schools), and hope to have enough income to eat. Affordable housing is a significant concern of new teachers. Without finding ways to support the new teacher, the attrition will continue.
 
As concerned citizens, we need to encourage school systems to increase compensation to teachers. In addition to increased compensation, we need to create learning environments where good teachers have reduced teaching loads, where good teachers support new teachers, and where good teachers collaborate to address the instructional needs of their individual schools ---- all within a normal work week of 40-50 hours.

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Allyn's comments are dead on target and I couldn't agree more. In 1987 I participated in a professional delegation of teacher educators to China. I visited a number of schools as well as teacher training institutions. In the schools, class sizes were large, 40-50 students in a class. However, teachers only taught 2 of these classes a day. Much of the teachers' day was spent preparing classes, grading, etc., so, while the teacher might have 90-100 students per day, many hours were provided for the necessary planning and paper work. This is in contrast to US teacher workloads in which much of the planning and grading must occur after school hours. Allyn's example indicates why merit pay cannot be implemented fairly in US schools. Instead, all teachers need work schedules that allow them to do their job well.  Michael

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