This paper examines how a merit-pay award may lead to employer liability under the following types of laws: constitutional (federal and state); federal and state statutory law; and the common or case law handed down by the federal and state court judges. First, several court decisions are presented to indicate the status of the law as it is likely…

This report describes the activities of five federal agencies as they made the transition from merit pay to the Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS) during fiscal year 1985. It also discusses how PMRS addressed the problems identified with merit pay. In addition, the report presents information on the pay increases and performance…

This monograph is a discussion of the nature of master teacher/career ladder programs and related issues and implications for principals. Delineated in the principal's role in career ladder/master teacher programs against the following framework of issues: (1) the clarity of the school board's plan and its resolve to implement the program; (2) the…

Two major events affecting American education as a whole are the recent Supreme Court decision on tuition tax credits and the appearance of reports that have placed education at the top of the national agenda. A third major development is the appreciation of the teacher as essential to education, an orientation that has arisen from the awareness…

This discussion on merit pay and career ladders focuses on legal questions about evaluation fairness. If the concern of teachers for fairness is heeded, policymakers must include in enabling legislation for teacher incentive programs procedures designed to minimize the impact of bias for or against particular individuals or particular teaching…

South Carolina's comprehensive Education Improvement Act of 1984 includes provisions for the development and implementation of statewide incentive pay programs for teachers, principals, and schools. The provision affecting teachers mandates the development and field testing of up to three programs between 1984 and 1986 and the implementation of…

To help school districts develop a merit pay salary system for administrators, this monograph uses a question and answer approach organized around five components necessary for implementation. These are: (1) a decision-making process that encourages input from the whole staff; (2) a salary schedule that reflects in financial terms the requirements…

The term "accountability" involves more than the recent demand by the public that schools justify the academic levels achieved by their students. Such aspects of accountability as teacher certification, school accreditation, educational evaluation, and student testing have existed for years. The New Mexico State Department of Education…

The basis for most problems with merit pay plans is that the great majority of employees believe their own job performance is above average. Even a well-administered merit pay plan cannot give positive feedback to this majority. The likely consequence is that the employee's self-esteem is threatened. Often one copes with such a threat by demeaning…

Academic man is now, more than in earlier times, economic and political man. The parties interested in or affected by faculty salaries are: (1) faculty members; (2) other college employees; (3) executive officers and institutional boards of control; and (4) benefactors or funders, including students, philanthropists, state coordinating bodies,…

A brief overview of how the School of Nursing at Ball State University successfully developed a merit and market system for allocation of salary increases is presented. A salary document developed includes: satisfactory standards, a market plan, a merit plan, and a procedure of implementation. (MLW)

Educational reforms being called for in the 1980's are compared to reforms of the 1950's. The Sputnik-inspired quest for quality called for reform in the content and structure of basic subjects. Current reports say that what educators are doing in the basic subjects is ok, but they need to do more. (RM)

The key to an employee-supported evaluation system is involving a significant majority of those affected in the planning process. This article describes the development of a new evaluation system for 200 administrators and supervisiors based on attitude surveys and a large administrator-dominated steering committee. (MLH)

The new Florida Master Teacher Program in which the state provides bonuses directly to qualified teachers is described. Three measurement issues in implementing the program are discussed: (1) evaluating a teacher's classroom performance; (2) evaluating a teacher's subject area knowledge; and (3) combining scores to determine which teachers…

Education reform has wrongly focused on teacher motivation and rewards, when the organizational system itself is at fault. Research shows that effective school management hinges on increased individual discretion and decision-making opportunities for teachers and less controlling behavior by administrators. Ten characteristics of effective…