N.Y.C. Ends Merit-Pay Program

New York City has decided to eliminate its teacher-performance-pay program after a study by the RAND Corp. found that the program did not result in higher student achievement in mathematics or reading in any grade or improved teacher job satisfaction. The researchers noted that a majority of schools split their bonus payments under the Schoolwide Performance Bonus Program equally among teachers, rather than reward individual teachers for higher performance. The report says that many case-study respondents reported viewing the bonus as a reward for their usual efforts, not as an incentive...

By Sarah D. Sparks