Obama and Merit Pay for Teachers
Senator Obama might be a different cut. He dared to suggest to the National Education Association that good teachers should be paid more than bad teachers. Heresy.
UPDATE: This link illustrates how dangerous it is for anyone on the left to even bring up merit pay for discussion. I got a kick out of the comment arguing that this proves Obama is just playing it safe.
UPDATE: This link illustrates how dangerous it is for anyone on the left to even bring up merit pay for discussion. I got a kick out of the comment arguing that this proves Obama is just playing it safe.
posted by steve u. at 7/11/2007
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8 Comments:
We know how the NEA will react to such heracy. My question is, how will the UEA react? Voin Campbell.
The concept is great - implementation is the real challenge.
And yes, Obama rocks!
A huge challenge. But we don't get there, if we aren't willing to have the conversation.
Holy guts. That's like talking about Social Security cuts at an AARP convention. I have to admire a guy who has the nerve to bring up a topic like that to a hostile crowd.
The DLC has held this position for years.
This a good idea, but in practice, how do you determine who are the good teachers and who are the bad one on an objective basis?
If you choose test scores, then you have the problem of teaching to the test and different levels of students in different schools and different school districts, let alone within schools themselves.
Teachers should be rewarded for working with the most challenged students and making the most relative progress. But some times that progress/improvement does not show up for years down the road. So do you then track the students over time?
Practically, there lots of difficulties. But I agree, I am glad that Obama is willing to try.
Ultimately, it would seem that the principal -- like any other manager -- would have to make the decision. The decision would have to be based on more than test scores. Teamwork and mentoring, for example, should be included.
No doubt. Some principals would mess up or just reward cronies. But principals, also, should be subject to merit pay (again, based on more than test scores). The best principals would make the best personnel decisions. The worst principals should no longer be principals. Others should get additional training on how to properly evaluate teacher performance.
I think it would be horrible depressing to work in a situtation where someone could do half the work and be half as good and still get the same pay. It surely is not a strategy that promotes excellence.
In his book "The Audacity of Hope" Obama suggests that sole reliance on test scores is not a good way to evaluate teachers, nor is relying on just the principal. He suggests a combinations of these and peer reviews (teachers evaluating teachers).
I applaud Obama on his bravery as well. I have felt quite alone as a Democrat on the subject of teacher accountability and merit pay. I have worked in the management of charter schools for five years now, and it is very clear to me that what we are doing is working! Teachers receive merit pay and salary increases based on performance. The definition of performance is a combination of test scores, classroom management and surveys from parents, peers and students.
For too long now we have allowed for our education system to become safe havens for bureaucratic incompetencies that are nearly impossible to correct because of the mess of red tape that keeps out change.
Corporations with incompetent workers would sink if they did not reward outstanding employees and let go those who are a liability. I think it's ridiculous that we should treat education any different. I for one do not believe that my children deserve less, they deserve the best.
It's time for us to start treating teachers like the professionals they are...in terms of salary and respect, and part of this is accountability.
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