Theory suggests that strategic compensation can not only serve as a powerful motivational incentive to increase worker performance, but also improve the composition of the workforce through the attraction and retention of high performers and discouragement of lesser performers from entering or staying in the profession. This study tests the…

Based on two surveys of German university professors that were conducted in 2009 and 2016-2017, this article asks if the influence of teaching motivation on the importance attached to methods of instructional design has changed with the implementation of New Public Management. Using Self-determination Theory and the concept of transformational and…

The teaching profession in the United States is under assault. A regimen of reforms threatens educators with sanctions under No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Pay-for-performance measures are a slap in the face, implying that teachers need financial carrots dangled in front of them to ensure they work hard. And there's also the public…

This study drew on teacher survey responses from randomized experiments exploring three different pay-for-performance programs to examine the extent to which these programs motivated teachers to improve student achievement and the impact of such programs on teachers' instruction, number of hours worked, job stress, and collegiality. Results showed…

Between 2011 and 2013 lawmakers in every state proposed, and often enacted, laws intended to impact codified state provisions related to teachers and teachers' unions (author calculation). These new laws either worked against union interests (e.g., by prohibiting collective bargaining) or they aligned with union positions (e.g. by providing…

In this article, Susan Moore Johnson calls for a balanced approach to improving teaching and learning, one that focuses on both teachers and the contexts in which they work. Drawing on over a decade of research on the experiences of new teachers, Johnson argues that focusing on the effectiveness of individuals while ignoring how their schools are…

President Obama's education agenda, which unhappily seems to be George W. Bush's program squared, contains two major features that will impact teacher pay and working conditions. The first is that charter schools are to be promoted aggressively. The second is an insistence on teacher merit pay. In this article, the author talks about teacher merit…

This study summarizes the empirical results of school-level research done in Georgia, one of the post-Soviet, Caucasian states, in October 2009. The findings drawn from qualitative and quantitative data describe current policies regarding teacher salaries and incentives in Georgia and identify future possible policy strategies aimed at the…

This article presents a principal-agent model in the context of public schools to help explain the use of merit pay for teachers. The model considers how both the nature of teaching and the political costs of union resistance affect school district merit pay decisions. Our results support the idea that merit pay is more likely in environments…

When asked to share her thoughts about merit-pay for teachers, one second-grade teacher said that it is a touchy subject. Other teachers, however, have a different take on the increasingly talked-about alternative pay systems. Whatever their viewpoint, merit-pay is an issue to watch. More and more districts are considering it and it could mean new…

Teachers generally feel unrewarded and underappreciated. Most oppose merit pay and extending the school year and desire higher pay and more authority. The most frequently mentioned problems are parents' lack of interest and support, lack of proper financial support, pupils' lack of interest and truancy, and lack of discipline. Other results are…

Compares the Florida Educational Reform Act of 1983, a teacher merit pay program, with similar programs in other states and countries. Studies the reform's inception, implementation, and decline, using the concepts of coalition-building, fiscal support, and various work arenas (legislative and executive, administrative, professional organizations,…

Discusses a colloquium of Harvard University faculty, staff, alumni, and graduate students on the reports and studies published recently on the shortcomings of American education. The panelists identified questions that need to be asked, pinpointed what was missing from the reports, and responded from their particular perspective. (JOW)

Presents an analysis of various compensation and incentive options for staffing educational programs with high-quality teachers, particularly at racially isolated schools. Questions the efficacy of merit pay policies and suggests that non-pecuniary benefits such as improved working conditions and more opportunity for advancement are as important…

This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment and identifies key workplace conditions contributing to commitment. The framework is used to assess effects of such differential incentive policies as merit pay and career ladders. Increasing participation, collaboration, and feedback is…