Re: Merit pay for teachers is worth a look - January 21, 2012

The Toronto Star

Letter published January 28, 2012: Merit pay no panacea for teachers
Merit pay for teachers worth a look, January 21, 2012

Merit pay systems for teachers have been tried and abandoned in various parts of the U.S. because they don’t work. Systems that are based on student test scores ignore other learning outcomes. ‘Pay for performance’ is not what motivates teachers, which is confirmed again in a study this month from the National Education Policy Centre at Colorado’s Bolder University. It suggests that working conditions—including class size, principals who cultivate teacher leadership, specialized preparation and resources for high needs students, and the opportunity to take risks—are some of the incentives that lead to school excellence. 

Compared to the U.S., Ontario has a much more socially integrated and inclusive education system  which doesn't ghettoize schools on the basis of special challenges or socio-economic disadvantage. Across the board, teachers here are meeting the challenges of students with special needs, and others who face severe family or social situations. That's one of many reasons why Ontario schools are performing well above average based on recent test data.

Ontario's teachers must meet rigorous performance milestones in a highly regulated environment set out by the provincial government. Merit pay is simply an ideological construct that has been found to have no merit in the education system.