Community Training and Assistance Center

August 2009

Dear Friends:
Discussions on educator pay for performance are heating up in Washington and state houses around the country. Through the Race to the Top Fund and the Teacher Incentive Fund, President Obama and Secretary Duncan are putting the national spotlight on performance-based compensation.
It's More Than Money: Making Performance-Based Compensation Work
The lesson of performance-based compensation is one of institutional change. The focus on student learning, and a teacher's contribution to such learning, can be a significant catalyst for systemwide change - if the initiative also addresses the district factors that shape the schools.

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.

If we are not to squander this opportunity to introduce meaningful performance-based compensation into the teaching profession, we need to ensure that efforts are formulated on the basis of the best practices that we have to date, and that they avoid the known and recurring pitfalls. Six cornerstones of performance-based compensation are the essence of this reform. It's More Than Money, the paper commissioned by the Center for American Progress, describes these cornerstones in detail and provides the basis for developing district and state capacity to implement and sustain innovative practices, and to be accountable for improving student achievement. For additional information, please visit CTAC's Institute for Compensation Reform and Student Learning website, or please feel welcome to call CTAC at 617-423-1444.

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.

www.ctacusa.com