A straightforward guide to teacher merit pay : encouraging and rewarding schoolwide improvement / Gary W. Ritter, Joshua H. Barnett ; foreword by James Guthrie.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword<br />Preface<br />Acknowledgments<br />About the Authors<br />1. Introduction: Merit Pay as Educational Fad or Genuine Solution<br /> What Is Merit Pay?<br /> Why the Interest in Merit Pay?<br /> What's Wrong with the Current Salary System?<br /> How Might Merit Pay Help?<br /> Why is Merit Pay So Complicated?<br />2. Why Is Merit Pay Gaining Momentum? A Brief History<br />3. What Can a Merit Plan Do for Your Teachers and Students?<br /> Evidence on Merit Pay<br /> Studies on Teacher Attitudes<br /> Studies on Student Achievement<br /> Summary of Evidence<br />4. The Top 12 Criticisms of Merit Pay<br /> 1. Merit Pay Discourages Teaching Disadvantaged Students<br /> 2. Merit Pay Encourages Teaching to the Test<br /> 3. What About Teachers of Nontested Subjects?<br /> 4. Merit Pay Assumes Teachers Teach for the Money; They Don't!<br /> 5. Teacher Merit Is Just Too Hard to Measure<br /> 6. Merit Pay Ratings Are Based on a Secret Formula<br /> 7. Teachers Are Already Working as Hard as They Can<br /> 8. Merit Pay Bonuses Are Too Small to Matter<br /> 9. How Is Measuring Teacher Effectiveness Supposed to Improve Instruction?<br /> 10. Merit Pay Encourages Counterproductive Competition and Discourages Collegiality<br /> 11. States Can't Afford Merit Pay During Times of Fiscal Austerity<br /> 12. Merit Pay Is an Unproven Reform<br />5. Guiding Principles and Pesky Questions<br /> Guiding Principles for Designing and Implementing a Merit Pay Plan<br /> Principle 1: The Evaluation System Must Be Clear and Understandable<br /> Principle 2: Consistent Communication Is Critical<br /> Principle 3: Evaluations Should Be Based on Multiple and Thoughtful Measures of Effectiveness<br /> Principle 4: Plans Should Actively Encourage Collaboration and Discourage Counterproductive Competition<br /> Principle 5: Merit Pay Plans Should Be Part of a Comprehensive School Improvement Strategy<br /> Principle 6: Merit Pay Bonuses Should Be Substantial and Meaningful<br /> Pesky Questions<br /> Identifying Program Participants<br /> Measuring Teacher Effectiveness<br /> Ratings and Rewards<br />6. Timelines for Program Development and Implementation<br /> Program Implementation Timeline<br /> Step 1: Mulling It Over<br /> Step 2: Organizing a Merit Pay Exploratory Committee<br /> Step 3: First Meeting With the Exploratory Committee<br /> Step 4: Introducing the Concept to the Full School Community<br /> Step 5: Details, Details, Details<br /> Step 6: Finalizing and Ratifying the Plan, or "Rocking the Vote"<br /> Step 7: Getting Ready to Roll Out the Plan<br /> Step 8: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines<br /> Step 9: Checking In<br /> Step 10: Show Me the Money<br />7. RAMP: Ramping Up Teacher Pay in Your School<br /> RAMP: General Overview<br /> RAMP: Details<br /> Supervisor Evaluation<br /> Schoolwide Student Achievement<br /> Individual Classroom Achievement<br /> Translating the Ratings Into Dollars<br /> Closing<br />8. Conclusions<br /> Finding Funding<br /> Expectations for Your Program<br /> Closing<br /> Appendix A: Sample Teacher Survey<br /> Appendix B: Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) Teacher Survey<br /> Appendix C: Sample Report Card<br />References<br />Index<br /> RAMP: Applying the Principles<br />

Reward your best teachers for the great work they do!Is your school system considering teacher merit pay? Now is the time to know the potential pitfalls and learn from the experiences of other districts. Respected experts Ritter and Barnett provide a step-by-step approach to merit pay that draws on best practices from effective, successful programs. You'll find: A user-friendly summary of existing merit pay programs and their strengths and weaknesses Six essential principles for designing a program that supports teacher professional development, schoolwide progress, and student achieve.

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