A $99 million teacher bonus program that Washington legislators designed to lure good teachers into high-poverty schools has not worked as intended, according to a new analysis from the University of Washington Bothell’s Center on Reinventing Public Education.
Washington State provides $5,000 bonuses to those teachers who undergo and pass the rigorous national board certification process, a credentialing program that marks its graduates as among the best teachers. In 2007, state legislators added a second $5,000 bonus for NBCTs who teach in a high-poverty school, defined as one where a large portion of students are on free or reduced-price lunches. But according to the Center for Reinventing Public Education’s report on this issue, ” . . . less than 1% of Washington’s NBCTs move from low-poverty to high-poverty schools each year.”
The report shows, “The proportion of NBCTs teaching in challenging schools is increasing, but only because teachers already in those schools are gaining certification and because the state’s challenging schools list has grown each year.” The report also notes that the number of NBCTs has tripled since 2007-2008 — a good thing in every aspect except budget. The cost of the bonus program is now almost $50 million a year.
In the context of the state’s ongoing budget crisis, Gov. Christine Gregoire has proposed suspending the bonus program in order to save $99.5 million over the coming biennium. Washington is not alone. Other states, including Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, and Florida are also rethinking their NBCT bonus programs.
The Center for Reinventing Public Education’s brief can be downloaded at http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/download/csr_files/rr_12_NBCTs_mar11.pdf
I must disagree with some of the analysis within the report. Although the bonus program is certainly not successful in encouraging teachers to transfer to high-poverty schools, it is providing incentive for teachers within those schools to undergo a rigorous professional development process. And while the effects of teachers’ National Board Certification on student achievement are undetermined, positive effects have been documented with low-performing students (the very population being targeted in this incentive program). Perhaps the program could be modified to encourage more home-grown excellence within high-poverty schools at an overall cost savings to the state.
At Core Education, we are dedicated to improving the effectiveness of all teachers. See www.CoreEducationLLC.com/page3.php for more on the professional development services we offer.
