Putting students last by rejecting performance pay

The proposed overhaul of teachers’ pay would be accomplished by creating parallel compensation tracks - a base plan and a career plan.

Base-compensation plans should acknowledge that teachers come to the education system with varying levels of expertise.

The base can reflect a particular attribute the school needs, for example particular subject knowledge. Career-compensation plans should build on the base and offer salary top ups in four areas of professional performance: student learning, knowledge and skills, market needs, and leadership. As teachers climb from rung to rung (novice to professional to expert) these top ups must reward teacher accomplishments that are commensurate with each level of career development.

Performance-pay programs would reward teachers when they meet four goals: help students learn more; develop and use relevant new knowledge and skills; meet special needs in the local labour market; and provide school and community leadership for student success. All four are interlocking components and together promote the kind of conduct that produces excellent schools.

1. Help students learn more

No priority is higher than improved student learning. Individual teachers must be accountable for moving specific students forward from where they started. States school systems must focus on the starting line - not just the finish line - when they take a measure of teacher performance. Also, while standardised test scores have a place in the educational accountability constellation, they do not of themselves provide a comprehensive measure of teacher effectiveness.

2. Develop and use relevant new knowledge and skills

Over the years, teaching technologies have changed and the skills to use them effectively have changed. Value adding remuneration schemes must identify a school’s strengths and weaknesses as well as project future needs based on demographic trends. That is to say: what skills will be needed to get future students job-ready.

3. Meet special needs in the local labour market

It is commonplace to think that it is simply higher base salaries that are needed to attract teachers to challenged schools. However, the study found that this is not so. What is needed is a screening to determine whether candidates possess the skills and attitudes associated with teaching success in a particular school.

4. Provide school and community leadership for student success

The research is clear: new teachers who are more motivated and supported stay in teaching longer and are more effective in helping students learn. The financial impact of losing a new teacher is considerable, and involves recruitment, professional development and other replacement costs.