Redesigning Teacher Salary Systems for Educational Reform

Abstract

Although recent efforts to reform teacher pay through merit pay and career ladders have not been successful, there are good reasons to consider new approaches. However, such changes should be a part of larger reform. This article assesses how changes in teacher pay can contribute to both systemic reform and restructuring agendas. Three specific alternatives—knowledge-and skill-based pay, job enlargement, and collective incentives—have potential to contribute to the motivation of teachers already on the job and to support these other reforms. These vary in the extent to which they would change the status quo. All of them have promise, but only if they are combined with other changes in working conditions.