“For complex long-term tasks like teaching, performance pay has not proven to be effective,” Kushner said. “In fact, it’s proven to be counterproductive.”
Those are the words of Christine Kushner, Chairwoman of the Wake County School Board. After hearing the views and protests of nearly a hundred teachers — most of them members of the state’s largest teacher association, the North Carolina Association of Educators — last night Kushner and other board members approved a resolution opposing a new law that offers bonuses to top teachers in exchange for giving up career status.
No merit pay is not perfect. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest merit can work (see here and here) . Plus, it’s far better than the current system of how we pay teachers.
I wonder; if performance pay is not only ineffective but as Kushner says “counterproductive” why did WCPSS accept Race-to-the-Top money from the feds for such a plan?
If teachers want to be treated like other professions, they need to do what all other professions do: accurately assess how well their members are performing or not performing.
Leave a Comment