Should the US Public Schools Include Merit Pay Programs as a Part of Educational Reform - Essay Example

Should United s public elementary/secondary schools include merit pay programs as a part of our educational reform? The subject on adoption of the merit based pay for the teachers is subject to assessment and consideration of the several a factor attachment to the merit and demerits of pay model. Pay model works in a regulated environment as opposed to how it has been applied thus prompting huge and unexpected failures alongside. The main factors contributing to the rejection of the pay reward model include the indulgence of the malpractices in undertaking their roles so as to emerge winners and thus get the accorded payment. Many critics argue that monetary payment have nothing in relation to output of teachers which might be true depending on the platform outlaid. Personally, I consider merit pay as a morale boosting path that aids in elevating the output standard of the teachers and that is the only model for directing proportionate and equivalent production in the education segment (Ramirez, 57). Following massive expectations from the community, parents, leaders and politicians who are ravenous for enhanced schools, the impression of reimbursing teachers more in case students would perform better appears as basic. The effectual alteration in the payment with expectations of improving the results is justified and has the essence of elevating the desire of teachers to work and produce. The quality of education is mainly measurable by acknowledging the results output from the process. While companies accord remuneration on basis on yield the same must apply to the education segment. While some states have laws prohibiting the proposals, a minority of schools and regions around the nation apply such strategies. The incorporation of the large funds in the by the federal in adoption of the policy would typically results in positive finding from the district level as opposed to pessimistic model of thoughts entailed by the rejecting people. The challenge is persuading politicians around the state emphasizing the complex problems neighboring pay-for output systems. According to research findings some teachers have received result oriented and proportionate pay in the past. "Its a reward for doing what we all have a passion to do anyway - making sure our kids master the skills they need in order to be successful," said Duvernay who teaches math. In the same proportionality, other teachers are opposed to the policy arguing that success of the child is not limited to the efforts of the teacher but to the extensive roles of the all whole society. Debra Gunter, a math teacher says, "Your mother and father just got a divorce, your grandfather died, your boyfriend broke up with you: those kinds of life-altering events have an effect on how you do in class that day, through no fault of the teacher whatsoever". The position of research with regards to performance of children is highly divided acknowledging that as at two distinct researches finds opposite results on the issue. While the success of the students are altered by the other factors and issues eminent in his or her ambience, the contribution of the teacher remains constant and thus assuming that all pupils would be affected by problems at home, the input of the teacher would have augmented results despite the constant factors or non-variables at home (Ramirez, 56). According to reports from Atlanta, virtually 55,000-student Atlanta municipal school structure rose in national eminence during the 2000s, as examination scores progressively jetted as the district established notice and financial backing from the Broad and Gates Foundations. The unearthed evidence from that rise, exposed were teachers and school directors in 44 schools expunging and shifting test answers. Another disconcerting aspect in Atlanta was cheating scandal which confirmed that the district repeatedly failed to properly explore or take accountability for the school cheating. Furthermore, the central office informed principals to avoid cooperating with investigators. Such common loopholes creates the debilitating effects of the a failed system that acts as obstacle limiting the adoption of the pay merit model. The administration and law enforcing body’s failure to act on education malpractices creates a scenario that fails the expected adoption of the education system. In some cases, the administrator coached employees to tell detectives to "go to hell." When instructors attempted to alert specified authorities, they received label as "disgruntled." Another school director initiated an ethics investigation in contradiction of a whistle-blower. In regards of the cheating from the schools, the debilitating effects are notable but the effects cannot be undertaken on an urge to compound results by the pay merit basis. The desire to have elevated result output from students can invoke extensive compounded desires from the teaching staff and thus escalated urge to entail malpractice in raising the outputs (Patrik, 2). The engage of the schools in attempts to improve the results cannot be documented on the basis of pay merit policies or desire by the schools to excel, but mainly from the structural failure of teaching administration process. The cooperation of the school heads and the entailed administrational bodies indicate far reaching combination of efforts to limit fair play and introduce unrecognizable and unfair rewards or income generation from sectors that do not value integrity. The restructuring of such institutions is highly laudable in creation of satisfying grounds for the incorporation of the pay merit structure. The remedy against the challenges of the test measure, classroom complex nature and selection of the appropriate employee behavior for reward the designers of the mechanism would create complex rubrics that would facilitate the establishment of the merit–pay system. Contrarily the hunt for the right grouping of behaviors and consequences is a slippery incline that inevitably prompts a multifarious and unwieldy dimension system that diverts for teachers or principals from their vital work. There is inherent argument that merit-pay methods are demoralizing since they treat instructors similar to laboratory rats and while they should be treated as professionals. Professionals dislike the model, in a similar ways as sundry workers, when they sense manipulation. Gifted staff members are most likely to move elsewhere thus setting arithmetical goals, missions and quotas deprived of giving educators a technique for reaching their goals facilitating great frustration. Main critics of pay merit which based on specification tests allude that, major concern on failure of the pay merit was attaching ultimate principles of social motivation and method they relate to in schools. Main and strongest incentives that logically exist in schools is a sense of association in being portion of the staff. School philosophy and environment are fundamental to school achievement. Merit pay presents competition amongst staff memberships and abolishes the sense of communal so significant to adults and pupils. A succeeding natural promoter is the emotion of achievement that professionals receive due to their own expert judgment; they encounter the contests of the job. Operating an educator into imitating patterns of performances developed by persons outside the schoolroom diminishes this intellect of efficacy. Merit pay slips the boat totally since good coaching is not about cash. Most teachers opt for a profession out of sagacity of calling and they comprehend that richness is not the sole reason as to why they select teaching. The comprehension of this fact has been noted for a long period of time ad during those days tacit bargain was entailed in ensuring retention of the relevant staff in schools (Patrik, 3). While teaching is a calling and not an enrichment path, the desire to reward proportionately is highly considerable. In the long run, teachers similar to other employees regard monetary reward as the only motivation in their work. Anything less would only reduce their talent and desire to work. Forwarding of financial gains to the teachers only means a sense of directing gratitude to teacher who might have forwarded more attention to the student as compared to other colleagues. Love for profession is highly recommendable but in a surrounding which one role are highly appreciated. While the teachers have bills to furnish, rents to look into a bare word thank you cannot reward the teacher. Failure of such initiative would only mean that a teacher would extensively reduce alertness on the students and perhaps major on other activities that would generate additional income to them. Other section of critics allude that dissimilar to other professional fields where merit rewards can be tied to income, public schooling functions within inhibited budgets. Merit pay platforms are stereotypically not furnished in a way that can afford or sustain significant financial rewards. People are likely respond to financial incentives, but those motivations have to be large and plentiful. Thus, the primary enticement on which the scheme is built, money minute and short supply. In conclusion pay merit model works but the surrounding under which it functions in the school basis is typically different from the expected. Concerted efforts must be entailed in ensuring that the model works fully fledged thus aid in formalizing the anticipated changes in the education sector. Factually financial reward is the most vital for the teacher as opposed to any other reward thus regulation of the proper environment is highly appreciable in maintaining up scaled rewards in the children (Ramirez, 57). Works cited PatrikJonsson, 2011 The Christian Science Monitor (www.CSMonitor.com). Limited electronic copyright@csps.com. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/08/states-push-to-pay-teachers-based-on-performance Juan Carlos Llorca,School district rebuilds after fraudulent testing (adapted) By | Associated Press – Tuesday, October 2, 2012 The Progress of Education Reform are available on our Web site at:www.ecs.org/per. Al Ramirez, Merit pay misfires E d u c a t i o n a l L e a d e r s h i p / De c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 / J a n u a r y 2 0 1 1 Read More