Nov 2, 2006 7:05 pm US/Central
Teachers To Get Monetary Performance Incentives
Merit Bonuses For Teachers With Good Test Scores And In-Class Evaluations
by Jon Duncanson
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Mayor Daley announced new teachers' incentives at a press conference Thursday.
CBS
The Chicago Public Schools just received a $27 million grant from the federal government, but the money won't be spent in the classroom.
The cash is going to some lucky teachers, straight into their pockets to spend however they want.
CBS 2's Jon Duncanson explains why the students ultimately will benefit.
There were multi-million dollar smiles as Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Daley accepted a $27.4 million check.
It's part of an effort to entice the best teachers to move into Chicago's lowest-performing and most poverty-stricken schools.
"Teachers in these schools will have an opportunity to earn incentive bonuses and take a larger role in shaping classroom instructions. Why not?" said Daley.
In the largest single grant ever received by Chicago Public Schools, the Bush administration's teacher incentive fund aims to help students by giving high performing teachers an extra dollar incentive to inspire students.
"Research shows us that rewarding teachers for results can also improve student learning outcomes," said Perrell Halaska, Assistant Secretary of Education.
Ten schools initially will be in line next year for the merit bonuses. Teachers will be rated by test scores and in-class evaluations. That averages out to $500,000 in bonuses for staff per school. A total of 40 schools will be phased in over five years.
"We will support them, reward them financially, and there's nothing wrong with that, because they are the heroes of our system," said Daley.
For each school to be able to participate 75 percent of teachers of those schools have to vote that they want to take part. The teachers' union isn't keen on the idea. They want all teachers to be paid more. But the merit incentive plan is here. Let's see how it works.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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