I agree. Do they pay policement for how many criminals they catch? Do firement get paid by the fires they put out? Why do we try to make the teachers' paycheck based on student scores when we don't control the variables. I had a new student arrive today. What parent moves their child to a new school in the middle of testing week? Another student's brother is in intesive care because her brother fell off of his bike. Should she be tested? Should my pay be tied to their scores? Votes: +0

Merit pay for NCLB? How about keeping the NCLB but making it apply to the courts. Judges must make sure "NO CRIMINAL IS LEFT BEHIND."
That each person that comes before a judge becomes a perfect citizen. And all judges would be paid on merit pay. How well do you think that would go over. Judges would say, "I can't control what people do outside of my court" well the same is true for teachers. Until FAMILIES take control schools can never be all they should be. Votes: +0

Merit pay to me is just another band-aid for an educational system that is archaic. We have operated under the same top down system for 200 years! Teachers always seem to take the heat for everything that is wrong in education. I am working in a school district that loads thirty-five students in a classroom and expects you to perform miracles with students and parents who are apathetic and many times rude and do not value education. Education needs to be out of the political arena. I just spent the last eight years jumping through hoops with No Child Left Behind. So each time we have a new administration we dance to that song. If you want to call it getting paid for combat duty, sign me up - I'd be rich! Votes: +0

Merit pay should be for parents who make sure their children are ready for school. This would include getting the children to bed at an appropriate time, checking homework, working with the teachers in the best interests of their children, and giving them a stable environment in which to grow. Teachers can do many things to help a child succeed but cannot do everything. Merit pay based on one standardized test is ridiculous. If professional sports teams were paid based on one game's performance, we would have very few of them. I just wish that those who promote merit pay would spend a month in a classroom to get a real picture of what it takes to educate a child. Votes: +1

If the President implements merit pay, the reward should be given to the entire school and spread out evenly. This would eliminate favortism by administrators and encourage everyone at the school to help each other and to take stake in the process. It takes a whole school to make a difference with student achievement- whether on stanadarized test scores or general grade improvement. If merit is based this way, students will achieve and the school staff gets rewarded monetarily. Everyone should include all staff members who helps students, regardless if they directly teach the curriculum or not. Student achievement should not be based solely on standardized tests, it should be based on academic improvement and attendance as well. This levels out the field and makes it fair for schools that have students who are behind due to learning or economic deficits. Votes: +2