Can Teacher Incentive Pay Close Achievement Gap?

Sept. 30, 2007 — -- In Chicago, once described as having the worst public schools in the nation, they are trying something new.

Veronica Griffin, who colleagues consider to be an exceptional teacher, was going to leave her job in a struggling inner city school for a higher-paying one. To keep her, the city of Chicago did something a business might do: They offered her a $15,000 bonus.

It may be common sense in other businesses: If someone's performing well, pay them a little extra. But it's a radical shift in America's public schools. For decades, teachers have been paid solely by seniority and by how much higher education they've accumulated.

[See what teachers in your state earn by CLICKING HERE]

Chicago is just starting its experiment with paying for performance this school year.

"What this represents is the first time in the history of the Chicago public schools where teachers have a chance to make more money," says Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools' CEO, "to make a bonus based upon student success, based upon students doing well in the classroom."

  However, the idea of merit pay for teachers is hugely controversial.

The idea is being fought over in Washington, D.C., right now, where it may be included in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, and in cities all over the country.

Teachers in Houston rallied in large numbers when their school board approved bonus pay tied to test scores over their objections.

But some wonder whether treating failing inner city schools more like businesses -- through merit pay -- would help bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students.

There's no question that something needs to be done. New government numbers out this week show blacks and Hispanics still lag behind whites on standardized tests.

The achievement gap in eighth grade reading test results shows no real improvement since 1992. This year, black students scored 9.9 percent lower than whites, and Hispanic students scored 9.1 percent lower.

[See how your state matches up by CLICKING HERE. Use the Data Explorer tool for a breakdown by race.]