Letter of the Day | Will teacher-performance pay boost student achievement?
Published:Friday | January 10, 2025 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Stewart Jacobs, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), recently renewed calls for teachers to be paid based on their performance. Jacobs suggested that this approach could help combat widespread student failure in several schools. It is common for tempers to flare when such a proposal is made, but we should refrain from accepting, rejecting, or rubbishing it altogether without first reviewing relevant research.
Performance-based salaries can yield favourable results. In 2021, researchers from Vanderbilt University analysed 40 studies and concluded that “the effect of teacher merit pay on student test scores is positive and statistically significant.”
Meta-analyses of other studies conducted in diverse cultural and geographical contexts revealed similar findings. Students attending schools that adopted a performance-based compensation system excelled.
Experimental studies in Rwanda show that teachers with incentive-based contracts “elicited better performance from their students than teachers working under FW [fixed wage] contracts.” Teachers who received bonuses also had greater presence in the classroom. They exerted more effort in facilitating students, and they used more effective instructional methods.
However, in parts of China, student achievement did not improve considerably after teacher-performance pay was introduced. Schools in Australia and the United Kingdom have had corresponding experiences.
Additionally, Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has found no convincing correlation between students’ test results and performance-dependent pay for teachers. Local research is needed to better determine our fate, as we operate in a unique cultural and socio-economic context.
Nonetheless, it is clear that performance-related pay is not an elixir for student underperformance. Successful schools in South Korea, Singapore, and Finland prioritise the following instead: rigorous and ongoing teacher training, whole-child development, inclusivity, equity, and technology integration. Critical preconditions for effective teaching and learning are usually met, as well.
The conversation around performance-based pay should continue, but focus needs to be expanded to assess the factors that continually hinder optimal teacher and student performance. We should then be able to develop a more context-responsive action plan. The 2021 Orlando Patterson Report offers valuable insights for a start.
SHAWNA KAY
WILLIAMS-PINNOCK