|
The list of the 42 schools whose staff received incentive
bonuses points to the fundamental unfairness of the
performance incentive program. Based on the criteria
used to score schools across the state, it's clear that no
regular urban high school or middle school could possibly
qualify. Eighty percent of the schools that were
deemed outstanding have fewer than 20 students in their
entire student body.
For any kind of performance incentive pay program to
make sense, it's got to be accessible to all the schools —
not just the very small, or schools that have favorable
demographics.
We're still collecting data on the schools, but there
appears to be at least one clear lesson here: Small class
sizes ought to be available for every child in Alaska.
There are tried and true methods for raising student
achievement:
Quality
teachers + parent involvement + small class size = high
student achievement
This performance incentive pay program simply takes money
away from these proven methods for raising student
achievement.
Worse yet, the program actually provides a financial
disincentive for quality educators to consider working in
schools where students are struggling. Why would
teachers consider going to a school where they know they'll
never be rewarded with an incentive bonus?
In this way, the incentive program is actually
detrimental to the education of Alaska's children.
In the coming weeks and months, we'll look forward to
working with superintendents and principals around the
state, taking a very close look at the program. |
