Education Commission of the States
June 2001
Although it's accepted with little question in many other lines of work, in education there's much resistance to compensating people based on their job performance. As bullets whiz overhead, however, some states and districts are implementing performance-pay plans in an effort to jumpstart pupil achievement and halt the stream of top-notch teachers exiting the classroom for greener employment pastures. Earlier this year, the Education Commission of the States assembled representatives from five leading pay-for-performance locales-Cincinnati; Denver; Douglas County, CO; Iowa; and the Milken Family Foundation's Teacher Advancement Program (in Arizona)-to pool their insights and determine what lessons their experiences could yield for other states and districts. A recent ECS Issue Paper offers an overview of the meeting's findings, including an explanation of key issues involved in implementing performance-based pay in schools, a summary of questions policymakers ought to consider, a brief discussion of lessons learned (even though some programs have yet to become operational), a chart comparing the five programs, a summary of each program's structure, and a reference guide. The paper doesn't hold any surprises, but it does present a sound, if cursory, treatment of a nettlesome issue. It's available at http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/28/30/2830.htm or by contacting ECS at 707 17th Street, Suite 2700, Denver, CO 80202-3427; 303-299-3600; fax 303-296-8332.
