Tying Teacher Pay to Student Performance Still Rare

By Daniel Gursky

Although teacher-incentive programs exist in half the states, plans such as the one in Granville County, N.C., that tie individual teacher bonuses to student performance are still relatively rare.

A national survey on teacher career ladders and other incentives, released last month by the Southern Regional Education Board, found some sort of incentive plan in place in about 25 states.

"However," the study found, "the notion of tying rewards for individual teachers to results of students is an area where few states...