by David Safier
A few days back, I wrote about Senator Tim Bee’s legislation to extend the Career Ladder program to all Arizona school districts. I expressed skepticism about both the Career Ladder program and Tim Bee’s motives.
Since then I have had a change of heart and of mind. I now support his legislation and applaud him for putting it forward.
I continue to dislike the standard Merit Pay program, where districts combine standardized tests and teacher observations to decide who are the “outstanding teachers” deserving a salary bump. Those programs can do more harm than good. Many states that have adopted that model have run into trouble.
But I’ve looked through the Career Ladder programs at a number of school districts and spoken with a high school principal at one of the Career Ladder Districts, and I’ve found that Arizona is using a different model. Teachers choose to be part of the program. They participate in a variety of activities including research, group work, training and mentoring – time spent outside of their paid teaching day. The idea is to give the teachers an opportunity to improve their skills and pay them for some of their time. Often, they are judged based on the goals they have set for themselves as well as the completion of a quantity of work.
There is no guarantee the Career Ladder teachers will become “outstanding,” but most likely, they will improve their teaching skills. And they are rewarded financially for making an effort to improve. I applaud that heartily.
So, yes, let’s give the Career Ladder opportunity to all teachers in all districts. If it ever devolves into a typical Merit Pay disaster, I’ll be among the first to criticize it. But for now, let me join those who have applauded Bee for trying to bring more money to schools — money that will encourage teachers to hone their craft and become more effective in the classroom.