Pros and Cons of Merit for Teachers

Should teachers be rewarded for performance like everyone else?

Teachers' unions around the United States are easing their opposition to merit pay and finding new ways to experiment with the concept, sparking passionate responses from teachers everywhere.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of paying teachers differently based on the results produced in the classroom? The problem is complex. In fact, it has been discussed in the world of education for over 40 years.

The National Education Association (NEA) staunchly opposes merit pay, but is it an idea when their time comes?

The Prose

Americans value hard work and results, and our capitalist system depends on such rewarding results. Most professions offer bonuses and pay raises to profitable employees. Why should teaching be an exception? The fact is that a disorganized teacher and a dedicated teacher do not sit directly with most people making the same salary.

Motivated teachers work harder and produce better results. Should jobs go above and beyond the basic requirements for motivation? The simple possibility of extra money will probably translate to better teaching and better outcomes for our children.

Merit pay programs help recruit and retain the nation's brightest minds. It's the odd teacher who doesn't consider getting out of the classroom and into the corporate workplace for the twin benefits of less threat and more money potential. Particularly intelligent and effective teachers may leave the profession if they feel recognized for their extraordinary efforts.

Teachers are already being paid. Merit Pay helps address this injustice. Teaching is the reason for the revival of respect in this country. How can we reflect the respect we feel from teachers by paying them more money?

We are amid a teaching shortage. Merit pay inspires capable teachers to consider the profession more as a career choice rather than a personal sacrifice for top teachers. By tying teaching salaries to performance, the profession appears more modern and credible, thus attracting young college graduates to the classroom.

With American schools in crisis, shouldn't we be trying something new in hopes of making a difference? If the old ways of running schools and motivating teachers don't work, maybe think outside the box and try merit pay. In times of crisis, any valid ideas as potential solutions must be quickly rejected.

Cons

Most everyone agrees that designing and overseeing a merit pay program is an epic bureaucratic nightmare. Many important questions need to be adequately answered before a teacher can consider paying for a teacher qualification. Such discussions inevitably detract from our real goal, which is to focus on students and provide them with the best possible education.

Goodwill and cooperation among teachers are compromised. In places where merit pay changes have been attempted in the past, the results have often been unpleasant and counter-productive competition among teachers. Once teachers work as a team and share cooperation in cooperation, merit pay teachers can adopt "me only to me" attitudes. This is detrimental to our students, no doubt.

NCLB's No Behind (NCLB) has already demonstrated how the various unfolding playgrounds in the American education system have inherently different standards and expectations. English Language Learners, Consider the diverse needs of special education students, and low-income neighborhoods, and you'll see why defunding America's schools open up such a can of worms. True teachers.

Opponents of merit pay argue that the best solution to the current education crisis is to pay all teachers more. Instead of designing and regulating a confusing merit pay program, why aren't teachers already being paid what they're worth?

High-stakes merit pay systems inevitably encourage dishonesty and corruption. Teachers are financially motivated to lie about test takers and results. Teachers may have legitimate suspicions of major gratuities. Complaints and lawsuits abound. Again, all of these messy ethics issues take the focus away from the needs of our students, who meet our strengths and needs to learn to read and succeed in the world.

So what do you think now? As the issues of merit pay become complex and evocative, one's position can naturally be nuanced.

In the big picture, what really matters is the learning that happens with our students when the "rubber hits the road" in our classrooms. After all, there is not a single teacher in the world who has entered the profession of money.