Anyone associated with a school — students, parents, teachers, and principals — can identify the good teachers. While this seems common-sensical, education associations argue that it is impossible to measure teacher effectiveness fairly; therefore all teachers, regardless of skill, should get paid the same.
This is absurd. Performance and results are commonly rewarded in the private sector with annual reviews, raises, and bonuses. Why can’t they work in education?
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram agrees. It recently endorsed merit pay and chastised Arlington ISD for its unwillingness to participate in Texas’ merit pay grant program.
Our research on costly ineffective education reforms and the teacher pay structure may be useful to school board members and school administrators interested in paying good teachers more money without spending more money.
– Brooke Terry