Virginia’s own Andrew Rotherham points out that even well-meaning, best-selling authors like Tom Friedman can make compelling arguments that fall just outside of the bulls eye. Our attention is directed to Kevin Carey’s objections on the Quick and the Ed, who suggests the tax-cuts-for-teachers notion could be arguable for any public servant. He even tosses in a little math to support his idea.
Rotherham skillfully brings us home again. His message, “the bottom line is that we ought to pay teachers more, but we ought to pay them differently as well, gets to the core of a key issue in public education.
Whether or not merit pay is the answer is irrelevant. The only way to discover a better model is through educational entrepreneurship and innovation. What we do know, through mounds of research, is that years of experience and degrees simply do not correlate with effectiveness. Yet, we not only continue the practice but increase the requirements.
Perhaps teacher efficacy is a better notion.
It’s time to foster an environment where our teachers can become highly satisfied instead of chasing meaningless certifications to be highly qualified.
