Merit Just Ain't Worth What It Used to Be
A funny thing about merit pay programs. The more successful they are, the more they cost. In tough economic times, they can easily fall victim to their own success.
That's apparently what happened to Chicago's program to give students cash for good grades. The program began amidst much hoopla two years ago, only to die a quiet death this year as money grew tight. The school district couldn't count on outside donors to keep the program going during these dark days.
Actually, I should be careful not to tout the program's success prematurely. The verdict is still out on the its results. What is clear is that, as more students earn good grades, the program gets more expensive and therefore more likely to end up on the chopping block.
So teachers have every right to be concerned about merit pay schemes that depend on unstable budgets or even less stable grants and donations. In Chicago, they have to explain to their students that an "A" just ain't worth what it used to be. Can they trust those who would tie teacher pay to student test scores to fund merit pay programs for success?
Hat tip: Alexander Russo
SIGN UP
Visionaries
Click here to browse dozens of Public School Insights interviews with extraordinary education advocates, including:
- Duke Professor Helen Ladd
- Children's Literature Laureate Jon Scieszka
- Middle School Educators Carmen Macchia and Michael De Vito
The views expressed in this website's interviews do not necessarily represent those of the Learning First Alliance or its members.
New Stories
Featured Story
A School that Works for Children
Grove Patterson is 50 percent African-American, 37 percent white and 13 percent Latino, with 40 percent of students considered economically disadvantaged. The school offering a combination of nontraditional programs proven to support student achievement including an extended school day and year, data driven instruction and time for teacher collaobration. The school outperforms the state on average test results in almost every subject in every grade. Learn more...
School/District Characteristics
Hot Topics
Blog Roll
- Edwize
- School Board News (including BoardBuzz and the Leading Source)
- Legal Clips
- The EDifier
- Learning Forward’s PD Watch
- Advancing the Teaching Profession
- Principals' Office
- Principal's Policy Blog
- The Principal Difference
- ASCA Scene
- PDK Blog
- Always Something
- AASA's The Leading Edge
- AASA's School Street
- The Answer Sheet
- U.S. Department of Education Blog
- The Core Knowledge Blog
- This Week in Education
- PTA Blog
- Iste Connects
- Inside School Research
- Teacher Leadership Today
- Center on Education Policy
- On the Shoulders of Giants
- Teacher in a Strange Land
- Teach Moore
- The Tempered Radical
- TLN Teacher Voices
- The Educated Reporter
- The Character Education Partnership Blog
- Edutopia Blogs
- Center for Public Education
- Connect for Kids
- Once Upon a School
The bigger problem with the
The bigger problem with the student cash for grades plans is that they send students all the wrong signals and don't involve the parents who were very angry about the whole thing. They also confuse students when they suddenly stop like in Chicago. What kinds of signals are those kids getting about importance of doing well in school?
Gary--I agree about the
Gary--I agree about the signals these programs can send, especially when they're suddenly terminated. A program consistenly applied is one thing. A program that is on one year and off the next might breed cynicism about academic performance, don't you think?
Post new comment