Voa education report - The Debate Over Merit Pay for Teachers

Fill in the blank with one suitable word

Florida

Steinbach

Teachers

The

They

This

a

answer

are

area

classes

experts

get

give

have

improve

increase

millions

most

not

now

of

only

performance

proposal

recognize

results

say

schools

seems

some

teachers

teaching

that's

the

tie

to

unions

was

is the VOA Special English Education Report. The idea reasonable. Recognize better workers with extra pay. But it's that simple. Performance may be easy to measure in workplaces. But teachers say a classroom is not one them. Last year, we reported on a program in to give merit pay to teachers if student scores on a statewide test. But a newspaper in Florida reports that school systems across the state are rejecting program for a second year. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune says about one-third of the school districts in Florida may a call for proposals by October first. Why? Teachers the program forces them to compete against each other. say it is unfair to link their pay to on statewide tests. Also, a high school teacher told paper that a limited budget means that some top may not be recognized. Critics say performance-based pay should all that happens in a classroom, not just student on tests. All that will do, they say, is teachers to teach to the test. This is already concern now that yearly testing is federally required for of students. Attempts at merit pay for American teachers failed in many cases because of resistance from teachers or budget cuts. Lawmakers in Congress are considering a to provide federal money for performance-based pay. It would merit pay to teachers who do excellent work in in poor areas. But the proposal does not necessarily the pay to test scores. Lawmakers and others point a successful program in Denver, Colorado. It began in few schools about eight years ago. Last year it expanded to all the public schools in the city. can earn more by working in unpopular schools or unpopular subjects. They also can earn more by taking to improve their teaching, or by raising test scores. plan also reduces teacher pay if students fail to on statewide tests. A local tax increase pays for program. Reports from Denver say more teachers are asking work in lower-income areas. And parents in the Denver seem to support it. New programs have begun or being planned in Minnesota, Maryland and Virginia. But many say there is still more to learn about the effective ways to identify and recognize excellent teachers. And the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy . I'm Steve Ember.

SCORE: