Texas merit pay experiment has mixed results

The first year of Texas’ $100 million experiment in school reform—involving an estimated 52,000 teachers in the largest merit pay plan in the nation—produced mixed results and didn’t motivate most teachers to change their classroom techniques.

An independent study funded by the state showed that the Texas Educator Excellence Grant program drew a favorable response from teachers in the 1,148 schools where bonuses were awarded, but the study also said massive turnover of schools in the plan each year will make it difficult to achieve success over the long haul. Read about the problems and possibilities in The Dallas Morning News online.