Big Money Doesn't Always Bring Big Celebrations

Most public school teachers wouldn’t argue that $25,000 is a nice chunk of change.

So back in 2000, when I was working as a reporter and visited several Southern California schools to talk to teachers receiving bonuses of about $25,000 for boosting student test scores at low-income schools, I expected teachers receiving the cash to be downright giddy.

All I needed for my neatly planned story on the bonuses was an excited quote from a teacher or two with big plans for her state-funded windfall.

But what I got, instead, were teachers from all levels who were visibly uncomfortable with the bonuses. Some seemed angry that I was doing the bonus story, and others seemed embarrassed that they were receiving the money. Some said they planned to return it, or donate the money to a union or organization established to fight merit pay.

The few teachers that I did get to talk about the money or how they would spend it said they planned to use it to pay off student loans or to earn an advanced degree that might help them to better serve their students.

When I finally asked about this surprising discomfort, one veteran teacher explained it to me well: “Teachers are uncomfortable with this because we aren’t necessarily comfortable being singled out. We like the idea of working together for the common good, not competing against each other. We know that we worked hard at this school, but we also have friends at other schools that worked just as hard and aren’t getting a dime. The competition element of this doesn’t really appeal to us. It’s not who we are – it’s not why we got into this field.”

Considering this long-time teacher’s insights and the reaction I got from other teachers, it makes sense that a newly released study on teacher compensation seems to show that monetary incentives didn’t strengthen student performance.

The debate over merit pay for teachers will surely continue, particularly since the U.S. Department of Education just announced last week a new round of recipients under a $442 million federal program that funds merit-pay programs for teachers and principals. And it is wise for us to continue to explore a variety of options to improve student achievement, particularly in our low-income schools.

But if the teachers don’t buy into the program – if it only serves to make them uncomfortable and add to their frustration – it seems unlikely the programs will be any more effective than the ones we have already seen.