The ALP election policy “Reward Payments for Great Teachers” asserts:
“Performance based pay systems are now common in workplaces across the country. Unlike many other professions, there are no financial returns to reflect ability or skill in teaching, with a rigid pay structure that limits the ability to reward for greater effort in the class room. The reality is that this means the most able teachers are paid the same salary as the least able.”
Samuel Culbert, professor of management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in LA, writes that:
You can call me “dense”, you can call me “iconoclastic”, but I see nothing constructive about an annual pay and performance review. It’s a mainstream practice that has baffled me for a long time. A one-side-accountable, boss-administered review is little more than a dysfunctional pretence. It’s a negative influence on corporate performance, an obstacle to straight talk in relationships and a prime cause of low morale at work. Even the mere knowledge that such an event will take place damages daily communications and teamwork.
…so the fundamental question for the Australian Government is whether they are prepared to enter a genuine dialogue with the IEUA as to the best way to recognise and reward high quality teaching and learning?
To read the full Culbert article from the Wall Street Journal click here