Hardmeyer - City Magazine

| FEATURE
Merit Pay for Teachers
Arrives on the National Scene
Merit pay for teachers – the debate
continues across the nation, but it
is almost non-existent locally and
statewide. The idea of merit pay has
arrived in some states, and teachers’ unions remain
one of the biggest stumbling blocks to merit pay.
At least one state has made some progress in that
area. In Minn., the teachers’ union is cooperating
with the Governor’s plan in which teachers in
some schools work with mentors to improve their
instruction and get bonuses for raising student
achievements.
Minn. $86 million teacher professionalization
and merit-pay initiative has spread to dozens of that
state’s school districts and was recently expanded to
Minneapolis. Governor Tim Pawlenty credits the
plan’s success to union leaders who helped develop
and sell it to teachers.
Many similar small teacher-pay experiments
are underway nationwide, with cooperation from
teachers’ unions. A consensus seems to be building
that rewarding teachers with bonuses or raises for
improving student achievement, working in lowerincome
schools or teaching subjects that are hard to
staff can energize veteran teachers and attract more
young people to the profession.
The National Governors’ Association has
appointed six states–La., Fla., Ind., Kan., R. I. and
Tenn.–to tackle the merit-pay issue. “The challenge
is to determine what is the merit in merit pay,” said
By Jan Schultz
a Teach for America executive who will be working
with the committee.
Some of the criteria for teacher merit pay include
improving student learning; working in high-poverty
schools; teaching math, science and other shortage
areas; and rewarding teachers with special skills.
In states with developing merit-pay programs,
many methods have been tried, and a variety of pay
amounts have been awarded from a mere $250 a year
to thousands of dollars in bonuses.
President Barack Obama announced March 10
that he favors merit pay for teachers. He said in part,
“Too many supporters of my party have resisted the
idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra
pay even though we know it can make a difference in
the classroom.”
He added that a far-reaching overhaul of the
nation’s education system is an economic imperative
that can’t wait. A relative decline in American
education, he said, is unacceptable in terms of
achieving the American Dream.
And the biggest challenges facing the U.S.
education system are:
• Low teacher pay
• Unqualified teachers
• Poor facilities and technology
• Parent-student apathy
In the coming months, City Magazine will explore
ideas from Bismarck teachers as they search for the
“Perfect Merit-pay Plan”.
40 thecitymag.com