Other States are Trying out Merit Pay

Taken from a news outlet,KTUL, in Oklahoma:

State Republicans are laying out their plan for next month's legislative session. Among their top goals is getting merit pay approved for state teachers. It's already paying off for some teachers. Merit pay rewards teachers whose students do well. And, because of their students' success, they're getting a three-thousand dollar check. At Union's Cedar Ridge Elementary, Sarah Worley wanted good test scores for her students. She had no idea her school would win a state award.

"I was just shocked," she says. "When she told us about the money, I was in further shock."

There are concerns with merit pay, but the benefits outweigh those potential downfalls. Merit pay could increase the number of excellent teachers in the field, improve the current ones, weed out the not great teachers; which will all serve to help the children learn better. It should come as no surprise that Missouri schools are not the best and there is room for improvement. According to January 10th article on the Columbia Tribune:

The 12th annual Quality Counts study gave Missouri a C-minus for its public school system this year. Only 10 other states and the District of Columbia scored as low or lower than Missouri; and Nebraska is the only bordering state to earn a lower grade.

Missouri earned a C-plus - its best grade and also the national average - for a child’s chances for success, including early education opportunities and family background.

But the state earned its worst grade, a D, in the area of K-12 education, primarily because test scores and academic gains remain below the national averages.

This is a tragedy! Our children are suffering. Why can't the citizens of Missouri realize we need to do something drastic to improve our schools.