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Merit Pay Research Shows Interesting Results

According to reports from Vanderbilt University, the offering of bonuses up to $15,000 in cash for middle school math teachers had no positive impact on the test scores of the students. The Obama administration has supported the idea of merit pay, which is paying teachers for the improvement in the performance levels of their students, although there are many school districts and states opposing such an action, and instead favoring the traditional route of payment for teachers which is based on years of experience and educational attainment levels they have achieved thus far in their careers.

The U.S. Department of Education has continued to push merit pay as an addition to their Race to the Top competition, regardless of objections from teachers unions that have stated there is no reliable or fair way to measure the performance. The report from Vanderbilt has made no impact on the Department of Education's views on the benefits of merit pay, while a Commissioner of Education stated that the results from the study performed in Nashville only proved that the prospect of more money is not enough of an incentive for teachers to enter into challenging schools and teach the students who fall into the more difficult end of the spectrum. However, both opposing and favoring sides have agreed that the study conducted was in fact a good one, and will lay a foundations for more studies into the concept of merit pay, which has been a debated topic in the educational system for several years now. Experts say this may lead the way to more concise conclusions regarding the benefits of the system.

15.10.2010. 16:13