Evaluation of the Teacher Incentive Fund: Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance after Two Years
Author: Chiang, Hanley
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Incentives,Compensation (Remuneration),Grants,Performance Based Assessment,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Persistence,Academic Achievement,Disadvantaged Schools,School Districts,Time Management,Mathematics Tests,Reading Tests,State Standards,Achievement Tests,Achievement Gains,Principals,Faculty Development,Teacher Surveys,Administrator Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Control Groups,Statistical Analysis

Recent efforts to attract and retain effective educators and to improve teaching practices have focused on reforming evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals. In 2006, Congress established the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in high-need schools. This study focuses on performance-based compensation systems that were established under TIF grants awarded in 2010. The 2010 TIF grants were designed to create comprehensive performance-based compensation systems that could provide (1) incentives for educators to become more effective in improving student achievement in high-need schools; and (2) support for educators to improve their performance. This study describes the TIF implementation in all 2010 TIF districts and analyzes, in greater detail, the implementation and impacts of pay-for-performance for the subset of districts participating in the random assignment evaluation (evaluation districts). The study focuses on the following 4 research questions: (1) What are the characteristics of all TIF districts and their performance-based compensation systems? What implementation experiences and challenges did TIF districts encounter?; (2) How do teachers and principals in schools that did or did not offer pay-for-performance bonuses compare on key dimensions, including their understanding of TIF program features, exposure to TIF activities, allocation of time, and attitudes toward teaching and the TIF program?; (3) How do pay-for-performance bonuses affect educator effectiveness and the retention and recruitment of high-performing educators?; and (4) What is the impact of pay-for-performance bonuses on students' achievement on state assessments in math and reading? The analysis of all TIF districts in based on a total 155 TIF districts who responded to the 2013 district survey (response rate of 95 percent). The in-depth analysis of the 10 evaluation districts is based on surveys to districts and to educators in 132 schools, conducted during their first and second years of TIF implementation. All 10 evaluation districts responded to the district survey in both years. A total of 795 teachers and 129 principals are included in the analysis of survey data in Year 1 and 904 teachers and 125 principals in Year 2. This study used an experimental study design to assess the impacts of pay-for-performance on educator and student outcomes. Data for this report came from multiple sources. These sources included district surveys (administered to all 2010 TIF districts), surveys of principals and a sample of teachers in the 132 study schools within the 10 evaluation districts, and administrative data from the evaluation districts on educators' job assignments, performance ratings, and performance bonus awards, as well as student achievement scores on state assessments in math and reading. A primary objective of TIF grants is to raise student achievement in high-need schools. Based on the experiences of ten districts that participated in the national evaluation and completed two years of program implementation, the pay-for-performance component of TIF made a small contribution toward achieving this objective. Pay-for-performance bonuses generated slightly higher student reading achievement, and gains in math were similar in magnitude but not statistically significant. A table and figures are appended. [SREE documents are structured abstracts of SREE conference symposium, panel, and paper or poster submissions.]