The Case for Merit Pay for Teachers.

• Position: Brief Article

The Colonial School District, a suburban school district outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has instituted a merit-pay program for teachers who improve student achievement dramatically. Merit-pay programs currently exist in about a half dozen school districts in the U.S., including districts in Denver, Dallas, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina. The new program in Philadelphia differs from many existing systems because it relies mostly on objective test score data rather than supervisor evaluations, which tend to be more subjective. According to the program, about 10 to 20 percent of the teachers will be awarded bonuses based on the improvement of their students' test scores. Teachers will be eligible for individual awards of up to $2,778 and group awards of up to $2,500. Group awards will be given to departments and other groups of teachers, who regularly work together. The merit...