March 1 - Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

“Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay,even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom,” Obama said in a speech to the U.S. HispanicChamber of Commerce, his first major address on education.He called for “treating teachers like the professionals they are while also holding them more accountable.” Goodteachers would get more money and “be asked to accept more responsibility for lifting up their schools.”At the same time, he said, it’s up to school districts “to move bad teachers out of the classroom.”“Let me be clear: If a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person tocontinue teaching,” Obama said. “I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from consequences.”He also called for reducing limits on public charter schools and for lengthening the school day and the schoolyear, among other steps.None of his pillars is more problematic than the notion of merit pay.Many players in the movement avoid the term. The words “merit pay” attach themselves to numerous failedattempts over the years.“It’s a red flag,” said Ben Simmons, executive director of the Missouri National Education Association.“Traditionally it was tied to test scores, which was unfair for a lot of reasons.”The Missouri teachers union, the Kansas National Education Association and the American Federation ofTeachers praised Obama’s approach to pursuing extra pay for top teachers.But they urged a bottom-up process that would work with teachers and their unions at the local level innegotiating such pay enhancements.Almost no pay-for-performance policies are in effect in Kansas or Missouri.“There are a lot of obstacles,” said Margo Quiriconi, the director of education research and policy at the EwingMarion Kauffman Foundation.“We’re talking about changing a system that has been in place for many, many years. But the system is outdatedand not meeting the needs of the time.”Under the current system, most school districts pay teachers based on their years of experience and postgraduatedegrees.The Kauffman Foundation sponsored research by the Center for Teaching Quality that worked with Kansaseducators to form a framework for what it called “strategic compensation.”