No Bonuses for Teachers!

Two weeks ago I posted a brief blog, "Atlanta's Cheating Test Scores," reporting on the widespread cheating that was discovered in Atlanta that had artificially inflated testing scores in the region. Then a bit over a week ago, hundreds of teachers were fired in DC due to receiving poor performance reviews. These types of situations have caused some to discuss what it takes to evaluate and reward teachers.

Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner reported in a recent piece in The Washington Post that he did not feel offering financial rewards to teachers who perform well was the right way to solve many of these types of problems in our school system.
 

"What are the right incentives to have in place for teachers?” The very question itself is jarring. It implies that teachers don’t want to perform well and that they need incentives, which in today’s parlance translates into rewards (money) and reprimands (fear of loss of benefits or position)."

Initiatives like that would more than likely continue to just lead to more behind-closed-doors manipulation and cheating to acquire a good standing. Instead, they should be paid and treated as professionals, and treated with respect, and expected to perform as such. We expect as much from a professional in the medical or law fields, why should we not treat teachers likewise? As professionals, they should be paid well and should be required to perform well, working hard to gain credentials, and when they mess up, they should be held responsible and be held accountable as any professional would.

A comparison to how teachers are treated and viewed in other countries, shows just how far off track this career field has strayed in the US.
 

"Whether or not teachers truly did have a greater chance to be professionals a half century ago, the question is whether we have that ‘luxury’ today. And the evidence globally is that we do. Whatever the differences among Finland, Singapore and Korea, teachers in those countries are treated as professionals and consider themselves so. Being a teacher is a sought-after position, and providing the right cocktail of incentives and disincentives is not a major preoccupation of policymakers. Rather, as was the case in the United States decades ago, teachers’ salaries in these countries are more than just a miniscule proportion of those paid to lawyers, bankers and other professionals."

Countries that are considered successful educationally try to provide high-level education across the board and, to the extent possible, direct the best teachers to the students with the least human and social capital. With rare exceptions, we do the opposite.

What are your thoughts on this matter?

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, mail order book store manager, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Education Jobsite blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.