Commentary

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Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Sunday, October 25, 2009 GUEST COMMENTARY / TEACHER COMPENSATION Merits of merit pay aren’t all that proponents say By Beverly Hoback For years Washington educators heard the same cliche from folks opposing school levies or bonds: “You can’t solve problems in education by throwing money at them.” All that changed when Bill Gates’ National Math and Science Institute offered seven schools $13.2 million if they would institute merit pay for teachers. Suddenly, those opposed to throwing money at education were outraged because the teachers’ union rejected Gates’ money. We’ve read all about the teachers’ union. They’re those money-grubbing protectionists who don’t care a whit about kids. Right. I’m one of those dues-paying teachers. I have two bachelor’s degrees, I’ve done everything except the thesis for two different master’s degrees, and I’m required to get 150 hours of continuing education credits every five years so I’ll be adequately equipped to teach music to elementary students. I teach in a dingy portable that is more than 20 years old because, as we all know, bond measures to build permanent classrooms are just misguided attempts to throw money at education problems. Still, some would have you believe I chose teaching over, say, law, because I’m out to make money and don’t care about kids — not even my own four, who all attended the district in which I teach. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people who buy into such logic don’t see the irony in their current complaints. If columnists such as Richard S. Davis (Wednesday’s Herald, “Washington shouldn’t say no to schools innovation”) would ask the Washington Education Association why it opposes merit pay, they might get the facts behind the headlines. Here’s a homework assignment for Mr. Davis and like-minded individuals: Read Dr. Alfie Kohn’s well-researched book, “Punished By Rewards.” You’ll learn that merit pay not only reduces the productivity of those who don’t receive it, it reduces the productivity of those who do! Evidently, throwing money at people to motivate them causes them to do just enough to get the “prize” rather than to do their best. And eventually many workers decide they don’t care enough about the prize to put forth the effort to win it. Pride in one’s work, cooperation, team spirit and self-motivation all wither away in an atmosphere of competition, cheating and resentment. Think about it: Do you want the veteran teacher to pop into the rookie’s room with an offer to share teaching tips, or do you want her to view the newcomer as competition for the money? There’s another problem with merit pay. It assumes that teacher effort is the sole factor in student test scores. Yet studies repeatedly show that parental income is the biggest predictor of student test scores. The correlation is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer. As for basing merit pay on student improvement, let me share some of the challenges I’ve faced in 34 years of teaching: There was the girl who was absent every other day for two weeks, always with a note from her mother containing a new excuse. There were kids who missed a full week of school because they were going hunting or were headed to Disneyland a week before spring break because their parents didn’t want to stand in long lines. There was the skating party held during the school day involving much of my class. There was the boy who was continually an hour late for school and once announced that for breakfast he’d eaten nothing but two pieces of red licorice. I could go on, but you get the picture. Should my pay really be dependent on these kids’ test scores? And how about those dedicated special education teachers? They’d be completely left out of this deal, wouldn’t they? Bill Gates is undoubtedly an expert when it comes to computers. Still, I’ve never seen evidence that he knows squat about educating kids. What next? Will he offer money to Children’s Hospital as long as he gets to dictate how the brain surgeons conduct their operations? Wouldn’t we hope those surgeons would decline his generous but misguided offer? I’m proud to be affiliated with a dedicated group of people, most of whom, like me, are parents whose kids attend public schools, and who chose this profession because helping kids means more to us than any wad of money. I oppose merit pay because it doesn’t work and it isn’t fair. Now, there’s a wad for Mr. Davis to chew on. Beverly Hoback lives in Arlington and teaches music in the Lakewood School District. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Then let's give the money to parents "Yet studies repeatedly show that parental income is the biggest predictor of student test scores. The correlation is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer." If boosting parental income is the big elephant in the room that needs to be addressed in order to improve educational outcomes, let's run our local school levies with the intent to give parents with school-aged children some additional income..perhaps in the form of vouchers they can spend on their students for tutoring....or whatever they think will work. Obviously, merit pay for teachers is NOT the way to spend more of our money on K-12 education. William Burnett | Nov 22, 2009 7:00 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal How much time is spent on "social engineering" It was said the NEA-run schools spend too much time on social engineering. Are there any research or facts to back that statement up? Or, is that just a pious opinion? As a former classroom teacher (mathematics, physics, computer literacy), I never had time for social engineering. That is, unless you consider taking time to motivate each student you have to do his or her best social engineering. I'll admit to taking time with a suicidal student (complete plans for doing it) in a successful attempt to provide help. I guess that may qualify as social engineering, since I did not let social Darwinism take its natural course. Let's see the facts! Bob Chapman | Nov 2, 2009 2:11 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal The Trojan Horse Your point is well taken. Having said that, I find it ludicrous to keep funding a system that is run by the NEA, spends an exorbitant amount of time & resources on social and sexual issues instead of teaching the basics, and then has to ask for more funds to run the schools. Life is all about "priorities". I don't find "social engineering" to be a priority over reading, math, and history. Billions of dollars are collected each year to "fund" education. Do you know where the money is going? Certainly not for classroom supplies. Every year, a list is sent home to parents, listing the "supplies" needed, not just for their own child, but for the classroom as a whole. So we pay with our taxes, and then pay again to "supply" the school. A few years back I finally revolted and refused to "supply" anyone but my own children. Every year there was a request for rulers, protractors, erasers etc. Evidently, none of these types of items were collected at the end of the year to use for the following year. "Waste not, want not". To any parent or teacher, willing to do some research, I recommend reading, "NEA, A Trojan Horse In American Education". That's an "education" for the taxpaying public! hope floats | Nov 2, 2009 1:30 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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