June 28, 2002

Educational Reform Through Merit Pay

To the Editor:

How refreshing to see educational reform approached with a sense of urgency, a grounding in market realities, and a demand for results ("A Gold Star for Merit Pay?," May 10). I applaud Chattanooga's mayor, Bob Corker, and the city's teachers for deciding to tie teachers' salaries directly to the performance of their students on standardized tests. ...

To be sure, merit-pay systems need to be constructed with care to ensure that they are transparent and fair. But