New Evidence on Investments in Improving Teacher Quality

States and school districts across the country have been trying to figure out new and innovative ways to attract high quality teachers into their schools. Washington state, for example, has a policy of providing national board certified teachers (NBCT) with $5,000 bonuses each year and an additional annual bonus of $5,000 to NBCTs who work in “challenging” (low-income) schools. This week, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) released a report that studied these efforts, titled What Does Washington State Get for Its Investment in Bonuses for Board Certified Teachers? by Jim Simpkins. Simpkins finds that this policy does, in fact, lead to more teachers getting certified. However, the bonuses for teaching in challenging schools do not appear to act as an incentive for NBCTs to transfer or persist in those schools. The current federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) provides grants to entities attempting to improve instruction in high-need schools through programs like the one in place in Washington. Congress should consider studies like this one as they shape the role the federal government will play in improving teacher compensation structures.

Washington State began a pilot program in 2001 that provided annual bonuses of $3,500 to NBCTs. The pilot program ran through the 2006-07 school year. In 2007 the state legislature adopted a bill that increased the annual bonus to $5,000 and added the challenging schools bonus of $5,000. The bill defines a “challenging school” as having at least 70 percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) in elementary schools, 60 percent FRPL eligible students in middle schools, and 50 percent in high schools. The program cost $10 million in its first year.

Simpkins found that the number of NBCTs in Washington has nearly tripled since the 2007-08 school year. In addition, the proportion of NBCTs in challenging schools has increased from 14.8 percent in 2007-08 to 22.5 percent in 2009-10. However, less than 1 percent of NBCTs with full-time jobs in non-challenging schools have switched to challenging schools each year, with an almost equal number of NBCTs switching out of challenging schools. Most of the increase in NBCTs in challenging schools stems from the increase in the number of schools qualifying as challenging schools and from teachers already teaching in challenging schools receiving their certification. In other words, no real increase in the quality of instruction in challenging schools has occurred as the National Board Certification process simply identifies teachers who are already effective. In addition, NBCTs are no more likely to remain in challenging schools than non-NBCT certified teachers, so the additional bonus for NBCTs in challenging schools does not appear to be effective.

Based on his findings, Simpkins questions whether this policy is the best way for Washington State to spend education dollars. Governor Chris Gregoire has proposed cutting the program in her 2011-13 budget request. With the program rising in cost by about $10 million each year, state legislators should closely examine the program and consider alternatives.

The federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program provides competitive grants to LEAs, states, or partnerships with nonprofit organizations to implement financial incentive programs like Washington’s NBCT program for teachers and principals that increase their effectiveness and help improve student outcomes in hard-to-staff schools and subjects. With federal dollars for education at a premium, the federal government should take a close look at the incentives provided under TIF to ensure that grants monies are actually contributing to greater numbers of highly effective teachers in those schools that need them most. They should use findings from studies like this one from CRPE and others regarding the effectiveness of these programs to develop more targeted incentives to improve instruction in high-need schools.