Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Family found dead in Ohio home
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Robbers order bar patrons to empty pockets
Sex-toy study at Duke University raises some eyebrows
Akron man turns himself in after authorities turn up heat
Man appears alive at own funeral
Take comfort in knowing Browns could be bigger losers
Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your perusal
Akron Zips:
No. 1 UA soccer remains perfect, Zips football defeats rival Flashes
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Dems Message To Women: Don't Enjoy The Sex
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (62) The Stupak Amendment
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
A Columbus think tank proposes a plan that should advance an essential discussion about merit pay for teachers in Ohio
Published on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
Programs that offer bonuses for excellence in teaching are appealing. They have proved contentious, too. Critics point out, justifiably, that in many instances the pay-for-performance programs are poorly designed, leaving teachers open to unfair decisions that create divisiveness within schools.
All the more intriguing, then, is a new proposal put together by policy analysts at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a conservative think tank based in Columbus. Matthew Carr, the institute's director of educational policy, argues persuasively that the plan offers the best option (and incentive) to raise the capacity of Ohio's school districts to recruit, retain and train accomplished teachers. The proposal, comprising best practices drawn from merit-pay programs in effect in Arkansas and other states, would avoid the pitfalls that have made similar efforts at bonuses and differential pay for selected teachers a source of persistent contention.
Opposition to the merit-pay concept stems largely from lack of confidence that the measures for assessing teachers for extra compensation are transparently fair. The Buckeye Institute's prototype plan aims to deliver a clear formula for compensating exceptional teachers and bonuses that are substantial enough to motivate them. The proponents promise the plan would be an encouragement to individual and collective excellence, producing a climate of collaboration among teachers to raise both individual and school-wide achievement.
The plan would pay teachers bonuses of $4,000, $7,000 and $10,000, based on variables such as the year-by-year improvements in student performance on standardized scores, subjects taught, professional responsibilities and a supervisor's evaluations. It also would differentiate classroom teachers of core courses such as math and English from others (such as principals, teachers in non-core subjects and teachers' aides), giving core teachers the opportunity to earn larger bonuses.
The plan's emphasis on student growth as the primary measure (accounting for 80 percent of the bonus pay, with the rest based on supervisors' evaluations) is a welcome departure from the stultifying focus on seniority and higher qualifications.
A carefully designed and executed merit-pay system that rewards and inspires exceptional teachers especially if the program encourages them to take on the challenges of teaching in the most difficult buildings and districts would be a most effective tool in the effort to raise world-class students in Ohio.
Get the full article here.
