No merit in merit pay for teachers

The latest fad in education is performance-related pay. It didn't work in England in the 1700s, and it doesn't work in the US now

Walt Gardner
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 27 March 2011 13.00 BST

At wit's end over the tortoise pace of school reform, taxpayers constitute a perfect audience for self-styled reformers who claim to have the solution for failing schools. The latest panacea being peddled by these modern-day Elmer Gantrys is merit pay for teachers.

The pitch is straightforward: education is no different from any other policy area in what shapes behaviour. Paying teachers strictly on the basis of their classroom performance will result in positive outcomes for students.