A COMPARISON OF TWO SOUTHERN ARIZONA PERFORMANCE PAY PLANS FOR TEACHERS

by Lesko, Richard.

Given the unique model of group performance pay rewards for teachers in the State of Arizona and considering the significant latitude that existed for developing and implementing individual district plans, the intent of this study was to determine through mixed research methods, how teachers and principals in two Southern Arizona school districts view themselves, and how they view their professional efforts in relation to the advent of performance pay. The specific areas the researcher looked at were financial incentives, improvement of teaching, perceived district support, principal understanding and commitment, allocation of resources, principal skill, and teacher teamwork and learning. These areas are taken from previous research by Carolyn Kelley, Sharon Conley, and Steve Kimball (2000). The survey component for this study was modeled directly from their study and modified minimally. The researcher conducted a Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability test to address reliability factors related to survey modification. Survey responses by teachers and principals were compared as well as responses by elementary and middle level teachers, and between the two participating districts. A detailed description of each district’s performance pay plan for teachers is also included for comparative purposes. Additionally four principals and four teachers were interviewed for the qualitative portion of this study to lend a greater degree of richness and understanding to the quantitative findings. The purpose of the study was to compare and contrast survey and interview responses to gain some degree of insight into how performance pay is perceived by the study participants. The overall objective of the study was to generate research data in the area of performance pay for teachers and share the final results with the two districts involved in the study. The findings suggested a general agreement between principals and teachers in four of the seven areas related to performance pay. There was disagreement between principals and teachers in the areas of district support, principal understanding/ commitment, and teacher teamwork and learning. The recommendations implied from this study are that future research in this area is needed and a larger population sample is desirable. 12