Eliot Cutler on Merit Pay

I asked independent candidate for Governor Eliot Cutler to respond to my earlier post about merit pay, which made the point, among others, that the candidates needed to go beyond easily misunderstood terms like "merit pay" and help voters understand what that would mean for Maine's students, parents and teachers. His response, below, addresses several of the issues that entry raised. While there is still time for other candidates to develop education platforms as practical, clear and thoughtful, as of now, Mr. Cutler is the only candidate who has done so.

I believe that educators and teams of educators who demonstrate their ability to improve student achievement ought to be rewarded for their efforts. Recognition for growth in student success should not look only to student test scores nor should rewards be limited to pay. My plan will reward successful collaboration and support opportunities for school leadership and targeted professional development.

Read more »

If it's Tuesday, it must be...merit pay

I met this morning with two veteran teachers who work in a local middle school in a district considered one of Maine's best. They had heard about the possibility of Maine Enterprise School in their community and wanted to learn more about our approach. One of the teachers was talking about the math curriculum - how she's been ordered to abandon her successful, project-based, integrated math lessons in favor of an approach designed to raise test scores by scripting each lesson each day for the entire school year. Consistency, this is called. I'll admit that I was surprised, in a district that has such a history of "best practice" and test scores that are generally thought of as high, to see exactly what she meant - but literally, that is what it was. If you are in sixth grade in this school, the only variable is when the first snow day will come and throw the whole shebang off.

Read more »