Assignment:
Review the video: Teachers and Performance Incentives
When Sulphur Springs Elementary School in Tampa received an F rating, the school district responded by bringing in a new principal, Christy Buell. She quickly replaced 60% of the staff and was able to attract new teachers by using the school district's merit pay program that pays teachers more when their students attain better grades. Teachers can earn up to $5,000 extra if their students are among those that show the most improvement on test scores within the school year. Even President Obama has embraced the idea of performance incentives for teachers, but the approach is not without its critics. They contend that there is little research showing that the approach work, it's hard to administer fairly, and it can create Ill will among teachers. However, the failing grade that Sulphur Springs received two years ago has now become a B, and the school district has received a $100,000,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further study and fine-tune the pay-for-performance approach.
With clear, insightful critical thinking, write an essay responding to the following:
A. Sulphur Springs Principal Buell is a strong believer in pay for performance, and this reflects Fayol's principle of management on remuneration (I.e., "systematically reward efforts that support the organization's direction"). Can you see any other similarities between Buell's approach and Fayol's principles of management?
B. One critic in the video suggests that compensation programs that create competition between teachers are not good for students. In what ways do you believe this is true? How does competition between teachers differ from competition between salespeople at a car dealership?
C. How would you establish a pay for performance plan for professors at your college or university? What measures would you use to assess the professor's performance?
D. How is the school district using quantitative management in addressing student performance?
Write your answers in a two to three page paper