New Study: Merit Pay Does Not Boost Student Achievement

By Cynthia McCabe Yet again, researchers have determined that paying teachers a bonus based on student performance does not  improve the achievement of those students. A pay-for-performance study released by Vanderbilt University and the RAND Corporation followed nearly 300 Nashville Public Schools fifth- through eighth-grade teachers from 2007 to 2009. The result? No overall effect [...]

Chicago Study Throws Cold Water on Merit Pay

By Colin Berglund A merit pay pilot program for teachers that began in Chicago schools in 2006 has had no effect on student achievement, according to a Mathematica Policy Research report released this month. According to the study, merit pay did not improve student standardized test scores or teacher retention – two main goals of [...]