MERIT PAY

In most school systems, teacher salary schedules provide for two types of differentials, one for levels of college preparation and the other for years of experience. The merit salary issue is whether or not some teachers should receive pay based on some type of subjective evaluation of their individual work. Most teachers organizations have opposed socalled merit pay primarily because of their lack of confidence in available methods for objectively identifying superior teachers.

Merit pay. (February 1962, Teacher Opinion Poll 4. Reported in the NEA Journal, February 1963, p. 46.)

To learn how individual teachers view the issue of salary payment based on some type of evaluation of their individual worth, the NEA Research Division asked a nationwide sampling of classroom teachers the following question:

Under merit pay plans for teachers, the work of individual teachers is evaluated by principals, supervisors, superintendents, or sometimes committees of teachers to identify the best 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, or some other proportion of teachers to receive salary increases. Would you favor or oppose such a plan in your school district?

The answers received indicate that such plans would meet widespread teacher opposition in most communities. Almost 3 teachers in 4 said that they oppose or tend to oppose such a plan. Forty percent said that they "strongly" oppose it. This is nearly six times as many teachers as those who "strongly" favor such a plan. Twenty percent indicated that they tend to favor such a proposal, and only 7 percent strongly favor it.