Abstract
English teacher Francis Hahn was tempted to accept the $5,000 stipend from the New Mexico Public Education Department. The state offered him a bonus because the percentage of of AP Lit students who passed the national AP exam increased in 2012. Hahn said he couldn’t accept the award because many people had contributed to his students’ success. He calls merit pay inequitable and divisive, and says it encourages teachers to emphasize tested material over other content, often comes in lieu of real wage increases, and encourages teachers to place their own interests ahead of their students’ interests.
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