Performance-Pay Setup in Texas Shows Promise

Nashville, Tenn.

Independent studies of the nation’s largest performance-pay system suggest that the state-backed plans in Texas could be having positive effects on teacher attitudes, with educators reporting they collaborate more with colleagues and encourage students to work harder than they did before the plans were implemented.

Schools participating in the Texas programs also used a mix of performance indicators to measure teachers’ eligibility for bonuses, researchers affiliated with Vanderbilt University’s National Center on Performance Incentives found.

The findings , presented at a conference held here Feb. 28-29, appear to answer some common criticisms of such plans, including fears that they can foster a competitive environment among teachers at a school, and that they rely too heavily, and sometimes...