Performance funding--the linking of allocation of resources to accomplishment of certain desired outcomes--is an idea that is once again finding favor with policymakers. It has intuitive appeal; what's not to like about paying for results? While it is a notion that makes common sense to most decisionmakers, it is an idea with a very checkered…

This monograph provides information on the many aspects of teacher compensation and incentive plans, focusing on those programs that seek to attract and retain high-quality teachers in the profession. Information was synthesized from reports provided by various school districts around the nation. The monograph presents state-by-state data on…

This paper offers guidelines for policy makers who are responsible for establishing incentive programs for teachers. It provides a framework for: (1) identifying performance-based incentive systems; (2) examining their underlying assumptions; (3) classifying program operations (types of incentives, methods of reward delivery, timing and types of…

Information compiled from 50 states is presented to help schools, districts, and states look for answers on how to best provide incentives to improve education. Five key questions are addressed: (1) Are states linking rewards to performance of teachers or students? (2) Are incentive programs creating new roles for teachers and principals? (3) Are…

Teachers and administrators from three rural impoverished school districts in South Carolina, together with consultants and the principal investigator from Clemson University, identified seven requisite qualities of teachers: knowledge, instructional management, classroom management, communications skills, planning ability, professional qualities,…

Research indicates that token rewards of students have negative consequences. Using this as an example, school board members who are asked to support proposals for new programs should refuse to consider programs not grounded in substantive research and to expect staff members to develop a program-planning process that includes indepth research…

This paper presents data from a 1989 survey of 48 state higher education executive officers regarding the use of fiscal enhancement programs as a strategy to influence higher education performance. The paper reports on the purposes and objectives most often funded through specific incentives, and on the key advantages and disadvantages of this…

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…

This guide, based on approaches for targeting jobs and business opportunities that were developed during the Targeted Jobs Demonstration Program (TJDP), contains strategies and techniques for ensuring that some of the benefits of economic development investments are directed to low-income individuals and small and minority businesses. Addressed in…

Effective school board leadership based on involvement and example can effectively enhance teacher performance. The first of five strategies presented to encourage maximum performance is the "Science of Teaching Program," allowing staff members, in a six-day seminar format, the opportunity to be exposed to a framework for making wise professional…

Providing information on the issue of merit pay for teachers, this booklet covers reasons for adopting merit-pay programs, examples of such programs now operating, definitions of types of programs, indications of why some programs have failed, and steps for developing a successful program. Noting the lagging pay of teachers and inadequacies of…

Chapter 1, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, authorizes federal assistance for state and local programs of education for disadvantaged elementary and secondary school pupils. Its appropriation for fiscal year (FY) 1989 is $4.6 billion. Chapter 1 has been reauthorized and comprehensively revised by the 100th Congress,…