Errol Louis is one sharp journalist. He is a newscaster for NY1, the city’s local all-news TV station. I have benn interviewed by him a few times and have always been impressed by his insight.
In this article, he explains how dumb merit pay is.
He notes that Governor Cuomo has proposed a $20,000 bonus for the state’s “highly effective” teachers. He didn’t say how he would pay for it. Maybe he would increase class size, lay off teachers, eliminate the arts.
Maybe no one told him that 50% of the state’s teachers were rated “highly effective.” That’s millions and millions of dollars.
Louis quotes Roland Fryer of Harvard, an economist who reviewed New York City’s failed merit pay plan.
Fryer says:
“I find no evidence that teacher incentives increase student performance, attendance or graduation, nor do I find any evidence that the incentives change student or teacher behavior,” Fryer wrote. “If anything, teacher incentives may decrease student achievement, especially in larger schools.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/education-reform-merit-article-1.1581217#ixzz2qikqOSoR
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Just another example of the ignorance proliferating amongst the ignorant monied interests to destroy public education – along with so many other parts of our “democracy”.
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Cuomo’s vague merit pay initiative was dead on arrival in NYC – both the union presdient and the mayor had no interest. However, can you use financial incentives to recruit teachers in shortage areas – i. e., mathematics and some of the sciences? Will financial incentives attract teachers to hard-to-staff schools? Should master teachers who take on added responsibility in schools be financially rewarded? Questions worth exploring – the upcoming UFT-DOE contract negotiations could provide a forum …
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Attract teaching candidates and teachers by eliminating federal taxes. Costs district zero. Lost revenue comes from immnse military budget.
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That’s not enough. I only paid about $4000 in fed taxes on my lousy salary, and those who have kids or other write-offs must pay less.
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I agree with you that the idea of paying shortage area teachers is a great idea. My district paid an extra $5,000 per year to teachers working at the dropout prevention school. After the budget cuts of ’11 that school was closed. I doubt anyone would work there for any amount of money now that tenure is outlawed and merit pay is the law of the land.
No amount of money will convince teachers to work in schools that have poor test scores so long as those test scores determine tenure, firing, and/or pay. No one jumps from a frying pan into a fire knowingly.
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This blog continues to attract new viewers.
I provide the following for those who have not yet seen the following.
From Jim Horn and Denise Wilburn, THE MISMEASURE OF EDUCATION (2013, p. 60):
[start quote]
One of the longest merit pay systems involved extra pay for better test scores in England (Wilms & Chapleau, 1999), and it lasted from 1862 to the mid-1890s:
As historical accounts show, English teachers and administrators became obsessed with the system’s financial rewards and punishments. It was dubbed the “cult of the [cash] register.” Schools’ curricula were narrowed down to include just the easily measured basics. Drawing, science, singing, and even school gardening simply disappeared. Teaching became increasingly mechanical, as teachers found that drill and rote repetition produced the “best” results. One schools inspector wrote an account of children reading flawlessly for him while holding their books upside down. [para. 4]
[end quote]
In this case as in others, self-styled education reform is so, like, rheeally nineteenth century.
Really!
😎
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Again, Alfie Kohn would say, “useless for what?” Yes, merit pay is useless for improving student or teacher “performance” (whatever that means, exactly) or for motivating teachers to do better (in fact, the assumption that teachers aren’t already doing their best is quite insulting and likely to result in a decrease in motivation). But if one is trying to create a climate of fear, competition and control, merit pay is quite useful.
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You guys just don’t get it. Merit pay, VAM, testing to increase achievement–these are not subject to evidence. These are articles of faith. They are THE REVELATION TO ACHIEVE. Please report for rectification immediately!
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When tests (and all their basterdized progeny) become weapoms we all lose
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Articles of faith to some, swords of aggression to others…
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Infidel!
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Thanks for the compliment, Robert!
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No matter how hard they try to change us, teachers will just not be good little free market capitalists in the classroom. Heck, they can’t even get people who sing the song to behave the way the lyrics play.
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So true. Car dealerships are a powerful lobby and prominent in the Chamber and our state legislature. All about competition and free markets. That is until Tesla wanted to sell online direct to consumers. Then those free market principles didn’t apply.
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Excellent. Thank you so much.
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Excellent. Thank you.
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Merit pay does not increase student performance because, in general, increased effort by the student is what increases performance. Please stop the bs idea of placing all performance on the teachers.
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1000000%
Imagine a system that blames poor performance on everyone and everything, except the performer.
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I agree that merit pay is not the best solution – but here is something a bit different, please read! Dont be turned off by the retard A.D. showing up – this shows what districts can do individually to find solutions. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865592332/Collaborative-or-competitive-Performance-pay-contributed-to-success-at-Northwest-Middle-School.html?pg=all
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Louis seems to be good on this issue, but I’ve heard him say some rather naive things about some of New York’s most questionable charter schools.
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