Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC)

Get Performance Pay Right

July 17, 2009

Dear Friends:

The national landscape is changing dramatically. Needs alone no longer drive educational resources. Instead, getting the results the public is interested in--linking what students learn to what educators earn--is becoming increasingly pivotal to school finance. More than 80% of a district's operating budget goes to compensation and the public wants to see a greater link between these expenditures and the organization's mission.

Here is the key question: Will compensation reform now be done in ways that are helpful to students and teachers or will it continue to repeat the mistakes of the past? President Obama's administration can stimulate experiments and policies that are formulated on the basis of best practices to date, and avoid the recurring pitfalls. The six cornerstones of successful compensation reform provide the framework for moving reform away from the trend of adopting programs and concentrate instead on changing the conditions that make a fundamental difference for students and teachers.

These cornerstones are described in the Education Week Commentary, "Get Performance Pay Right." For additional information, please visit CTAC's Institute for Compensation Reform and Student Learning website.

Best Regards,
William J. Slotnik, Executive Director
Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC)

CTAC builds capacity and addresses root causes of poverty at local, state and national levels by providing technical assistance, conducting research and evaluation, and supporting public policy initiatives. In the area of performance-based compensation, CTAC has provided assistance to numerous school districts, states, unions, and foundations, including serving as the technical assistance provider to Denver's landmark Pay for Performance initiative and conducting the comprehensive study of the initiative.