"In the absence of a well thought out, well-rounded and consistently applied evaluation system, many districts resort to their default position: heavy reliance on student test scores to judge teachers. Effective evaluation involves regular professional development, frequent observations, appropriate support and help if a teacher is struggling, and a fair and fast system to counsel out those teachers who do not improve after being provided that help." -Randi Weingarten, AFT President
Since the teacher evaluation system is flawed, the thought of merit pay for teachers is absurd. Surely the idea of merit pay must have been hatched by persons with a corporate mind set, isolated in a fiefdom, and housed away from the humble masses they attempted to lord over. Perhaps these educrats have never entered or spent any meaningful time in an inner-city public school; nor have they sent their children to any pauperized public schools, i.e., schools which are crumbling before their eyes. Sadly, the state-of-the-art prisons, unlike our impoverished inner-city schools, serve as reminders of where bureaucrats have invested American taxpayers' dollars for over a century.
It would serve our nation well to invest in the human potential of its most vulnerable citizens: our youth. Certainly, ensuring that youngsters have a solid educational foundation should take precedence over a prison system which only ensures that the poor will eventually become as Dr. King predicted, "socially and economically useless."
Our schools must offer a beacon of hope to future generations: the hope that, "liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness," will prevail as citizens seek the kind of education that enables them to advance up the economic ladder out of their economically, "disadvantaged," neighborhoods.
Since our teachers are trained to teach, teachers know what children need. And as professionals, they know how to meet a child's needs. They must find out where the child is academically and then craft a program which will meet these needs and make these dreams a reality. For children with special needs, the task is a little more arduous. However, given the skills and abilities of the special educators, the resources and support of the administrators and the care and concern of parents, even that journey can be completed successfully.
Unfortunately, there are many circumstances which undermine the efforts of educators in public schools. First, educators are not treated like professionals. Second, the needed resources and resource persons are often missing in public schools. Third, test-taking skills and teaching to the test have become a daily priority. Fourth, inner-city youth are not treated as innocents. Therefore, the public schools may even serve as a prerequisite for the later incarceration of youth whenever the school-to-prison pipeline is allowed to become a reality for far too many of our inner-city youth.
There is no merit in merit pay. The educational playing field is not level because the resources are withheld. And unlike crafting a product for a corporate entity, teachers are working with human souls and attempting to create an environment where learning can take place. Yet teachers are held accountable for everything ... even though the variables are great. "Today's diverse population in public schools calls for a comprehensive assessment system that combines formal assessments (standardized tests) with informal, classroom-based assessment (portfolios, projects, performances and exams). This is the multifaceted approach necessary to equitably assess all students, including those with bilingual and special needs (Harris-Stefanakis, 1993, 1995, 1997)."
Therefore, I agree with Randi Weingarten: "no longer should 'accountability' be focused on teachers alone. Everyone involved in education -- teachers, administrators, parents, students, elected officials and community leaders -- must be held accountable for student and school improvement."
Knowing this, the phrase "merit pay" should be removed from the lexicon of educrats, bureaucrats, and the loose lips of their followers. There is no merit in merit pay.
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