Pay increased salaries to teachers whose pupils make the most progress????

Oh boy, Michael Gove and Michael Wilshaw are challenging the status quo by the minute.  You just know that they are thinking about this question.


Arguments against:  Some teachers regularly get given the more difficult groups; some student groups are brighter and are bound to make more progress anyway, whatever the teacher; some teachers are more talented at teaching less able children - who won't make as much progress in a year as others.  It would cause great division in staffrooms, which wouldn't be conducive to the overall progress of all pupils in the school.  Teachers might start behaving in highly individualistic ways - and be less inclined to work in teams.  Teachers would be inclined to judge their peers in really unhelpful ways. 


But a parent might argue.... 'Come on - we all know who the best teachers are and we want our children to be taught by them...'


Hmm.  A minefield - but I will bet anyone that within a year from now such thinking is on the national agenda.


Surely the standard of teaching can be measured and monitored by a decent performance management system?  In any case, few teachers are going to be motivated by getting a bit of extra cash.  But they do want to be part of a professional community where standards are high and challenging.  They want to chase that mastery, autonomy and purpose that Daniel Pink writes about (in 'Drive') as much as the next professional.  Those teachers who are not pulling their weight - or who just can't cut the mustard - will go through the increasingly tough capability measures that schools are getting better at using. 


Select brighter more able entrants into the profession; support and train them extremely well; make great demands of them; recognise their progress and reward it; and you will gradually raise standards across the whole profession.  It's already happening across the country - and it is great to see.


But pay the best ones more?  Don't know.  Promote them, give them more responsibility - get them to become advanced skills teachers - and you are in effect achieving the same thing.