Job Discussion Forums

[Capergirl]

@Johnslat...Did you quote the whole article or just a part? I'd love to get a copy of the entire article for my adult. ed. class.

[johnslat]

Dear Capergirl,
That was the entire article. You can also find a lot of interesting viewpoints (pro and con) by doing a Goggle search: Performance based pay for teachers.
Regards,
John

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Teacher in Rome]

How can teachers be paid according to their students' results, when so much of what pupils achieve depends on external factors? (Thanks Ben, for all the factors you mention.)

It seems a bit like paying doctors and nurses for the number of patients they cure, or firemen for the number of fires they put out successfully.

I'm really not convinced that public services should be run as businesses, at least, in terms of performance related pay.

[Capergirl]

Thanks, John! I'm going to copy the article and do a search for more info. This will make for a great discussion this evening.

[zaneth]

Interestingly enough, I was just reading through some materials on cultural values. There was an example of an American company opening an electronics factory in Japan (though I thought it was usually the other way around) and introducing piece work rates. The women threatened to quit because it wasn't based on age, and said that it was demeaning. A similar example was given about suggestion boxes. Once it was changed to a group based system and the award was given to the group, people started contributing ideas. Yet another example was the difference in the accounting systems. US companies need complex and sophisticated accounting systems so they can look at individual performance and expenditures. It's a cultural thing.

The part about the conservatism of teachers seems kind of counter-intuitive to me, but I've found it true.