Merit Pay for Teachers

Jeff Lantos’ design for merit pay for teachers (Voices, Jan. 15) is as flawed as any other proposal I’ve seen. Lantos suggests that the teacher make up a pre- and post-test for students in collaboration with the principal and test-makers based on what he hopes to teach. The bonuses could be based on student performance on this test.

Being a teacher myself, I will tell you that with that incentive, I would want every student to do well on that test so that I could get my bonus. If, for example, the test contained a sampling of populations of selected U.S. cities, I would make sure that the students knew the population of St. Louis, if that were one of the items on the test, and wouldn’t worry about whether they knew the population of Philadelphia.

Lantos’ proposal adds yet another incentive for teachers to teach to the test, a practice that he rightfully criticizes in his article. He further proves that any scheme for merit pay for teachers would be so flawed that it would not contribute to better education.

Larry Wiener

Alhambra

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Lantos’ proposal makes too much good sense to see the light of day. It’s another brilliant idea brought forth by a teacher that I predict will be discarded by the powers that be.

Jorge Castro

Whittier

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Lantos’ idea for a fair merit pay formula seems to contradict his statement that “even the best teachers aren’t going to raise scores in schools where students don’t care and parents aren’t around.” I believe that when any child doesn’t test “up to grade level or up to where his/her ability warrants,” the teacher should be given the opportunity to rate that child’s effort, work habits and behavior as well as parent involvement before being blamed for the low scores.

A child’s progress is not determined by the teacher’s skill alone. It is a team effort. If every child started school having a desire to learn and a respect for teachers and learning and had that desire and respect reinforced from home throughout his school years, I have no doubt that the teaching profession would draw and keep teachers who are excellent by anybody’s rating system.

Maggie Bell

Dana Point

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If Lantos does not understand that it is his job to successfully educate young people even “in schools where students don’t care and parents aren’t around,” then he needs to find another job.

His students and the taxpayers of California have a right to expect their teachers and schools to succeed, not offer easy excuses for failure.

Lou Alexander

San Jose

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Although merit pay for teachers may help improve the quality of instruction in California schools, another idea could get much better results -- merit pay for students. Fourteen years of teaching in four different high schools has shown me that student motivation is much more important than teacher motivation.

Starting in high school, we could take just 5% of the money spent on each student per year and set it aside in an account for each student to earn back based on his attendance and performance. Perfect grades and attendance means full salary, anything less means less money in the account. The money can be collected at graduation, or doubled if it is used for tuition fees at a college. Imagine the difference in students’ attitudes when, in addition to their grades, they see a bank account balance on each report card.

Many adults cringe at the idea of paying students for performance, but just ask kids if it would make a difference -- they will tell you. Why not reward students a measly 5% for making good on the huge investment we make in them each year? Such a system would give students a clear understanding of the very real connection between success in school and income levels in our society.

Keith Abouaf

Los Angeles

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Before we start judging teachers, let’s judge the parents. The parents have charge of the child for a full five years before he or she ever encounters a classroom teacher. Parents of even large families have far fewer children to deal with at once than a teacher. Either actively or by default, parents choose to have children. It’s time to look to them, first, for the success or failure of the children.

Carol May

Los Angeles