Rewarding

This research study, published by the U.S. Department of Education and Mathematica Policy Research, analyzes the effect of providing high-performing teachers selective transfer incentives to move to a struggling school. In particular, it analyzes the Talent Transfer Initiative experiment, which was implemented in 10 school districts in seven states. The study found that the transfer incentive successfully attracted high-performing teachers and had a positive impact on teacher-retention rates during the payout period.

As part of the U.S Department of Education's RESPECT (Recognizing Education Success, Professional, Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching) movement, this publication lays out seven critical components of a new, transformed profession identified by ED and seven other national teacher organizations. The document also outlines next steps ED will take to continue this conversation with teachers and help to reach this vision to reform and elevate the teaching profession.

This report, released by the National Education Association, identifies guiding principles set by 21 teachers and leaders from across the country to transform the teaching profession. The report envisions a profession that “embraces collective accountability for student learning balanced with collaborative autonomy that allows educators to do what is best for students” and provides recommendations for state and local teachers associations, preparation programs, districts, states, and policymakers to make this vision a reality.

The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) was established by the U.S. Department of Education in 2006 and was designed to support performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools, funded mostly by grants. To apply and qualify for one of these grants, the applicants must design a system in high-need schools with differentiated levels of compensation for teacher and students based upon metrics such as student achievement gains. This webpage provides a list of successful TIF grantees with links to their applications.

Vanderbilt University’s National Center on Performance Initiatives provides studies that evaluate how pay-for-performance initiatives impact the quality of schools and districts. This resource is a scholarly assessment of education initiatives that use pay for performance, including randomized field trials of teacher-specific and schoolwide bonuses across the country.

This Public Impact webpage contains links to financial analyses of three of the 20+ Opportunity Culture school models. Savings and cost calculations of the models—Elementary Subject Specialization, Multi-Classroom Leadership, and Time-Technology Swap Rotation—illustrate that schools could increase excellent teachers’ pay up to approximately 130 percent, without increasing class sizes and within available budgets. In some variations, schools may pay all teachers more, sustainably.

To address the shortage of excellent teachers in the United States, the System for Teacher and Student Advancement (TAP) has created a multipronged incentive structure to recruit more of America’s best candidates into the classroom. These include multiple career paths, professional development, collaboration, and performance-based compensation. TAP has been implemented in several states with some success.

Teachers in the United States have historically had lower average salaries than their peers with similar educational backgrounds, with 62 percent of teachers requiring a second job outside of the classroom—such as tutoring, mowing lawns, selling stereos, or bartending—to be able to afford to teach. The Teacher Salary Project aims to raise awareness about the need to provide more attractive compensation to attract and retain effective teachers.

Education Resource Strategies (ERS) is an organization that provides resources and tools that aim to change the way people, time, and money are used in urban education to dramatically improve student learning. Resources on their webpage on teaching innovation include publications and case studies that focus on rethinking and redesigning teacher compensation systems to attract, reward, and retain talent and ideas on how to restructure the teaching job to emphasize teacher teams, differentiated roles, and opportunities to develop and increase impact.

Education Resource Strategies (ERS) is an organization that provides resources and tools that aim to change the way people, time, and money are used in urban education to dramatically improve student learning. Resources on ERS’s webpage on teaching innovation include publications and case studies that focus on rethinking and redesigning teacher compensation systems to attract, reward, and retain talent and ideas on how to restructure the teaching job to emphasize teacher teams, differentiated roles, and opportunities to develop and increase impact.