Paying Teachers for What They Know and Do

"Every community developing a strategy to improve schools will want to use this book as a guide. It tells you everything you want to know about new teacher compensation strategies that affect all aspects of teaching and learning."
Yvonne Chan, Principal
Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
San Fernando, CA

The demand for more innovative, more competitive, and more motivating compensation plans for teachers is growing every day . . . and now Allan Odden and Carolyn Kelley have updated their classic book on teacher compensation to give district and site-based administrators all the new information and insight they need to start moving in the right direction.

The second edition of Paying Teachers for What They Know and Do describes various pay and compensation initiatives currently in use across the country, including signing bonuses, upgrades in teacher pensions, higher salaries to those who are willing to work in more challenging schools, and other approaches. It also explores the different types of compensation plans used in the private sector as well as systems based on the continued acquisition of skills, knowledge, and experience. Then Odden and Kelley take the next step and describe exactly how these plans can be applied successfully in districts of any size.

Topics include:

• The current status of teacher compensation
• Three approaches to compensating teachers
• The relationship between pay and motivation
• Knowledge-based and skills-based pay
• Group-based performance awards
• Gain-sharing programs
• Ways to design and implement alternative teacher compensation

This valuable book also provides vital information on how these programs can be funded and how school districts can design effective compensation programs that answer the needs of their existing teacher base.

An essential tool for administrators at every level who want and need to keep the very best teachers . . . and pay them what they′re worth.