Teacher quality: Are incentive programs enough?

08-03-2011

Expert blog/National Journal

Two Republican lawmakers involved in education issues said last week that teacher quality initiatives should be largely a state activity rather than a federal one. "I'm a big advocate of rewarding outstanding teaching," said Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., at a Senate hearing. "My fear is that if we put it into the law and we write a rule about it, then suddenly we'll be defining what 100,000 schools will be trying to do." At a separate hearing on teacher quality, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., said much the same thing: "We all know there can be no one-size-fits-all federal solution for ensuring an effective teacher is in every classroom." In terms of federal involvement, Alexander said he favors an approach used by the Education Department with its Teacher Incentive Fund, a competitive grant program under which schools and non-profit groups can win money for their plans to develop, reward, and support effective teachers and principals in high-need schools. (more...)

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