Calls to commend teachers - with cash

In the country's early days, educators had no job security and were paid at different levels, with women and all elementary school teachers getting less. "Beginning in the late 19th century, there were efforts to develop a single salary schedule," says Larry Cuban, an education historian and professor emeritus at Stanford University. "It was a major reform in helping teachers become a profession and providing some stability."

The pay reform widened the gulf between teachers and private-sector employees who get raises when their supervisors decide to grant them. Meanwhile, teachers became suspicious of merit bonuses because "the judgment of their supervisor, usually the principal of the school, is suspect in their minds," Mr. Cuban says.

In contrast to many other kinds of workers, teachers typically make more money simply by staying on the job: Their salary levels are linked to their years of service. Extra education - a master's degree, for example - can boost their salaries even more. On top of that, union contracts often include automatic cost-of-living raises.

In Colorado, Staebell's employer found a way to reward teachers without alienating them, by creating a program that provides incentives but not punishments. Since 1993, the fast-growing Douglas County School District has given bonuses based on a variety of factors, from an entire school's academic performance to an individual teacher's willingness to take on extra duties and train colleagues. A group of art teachers, for instance, can get together, create goals for themselves, and make more money in the process. "Outstanding Teachers" such as Staebell can get bonuses by creating portfolios that demonstrate their performance and their students' growth.

Thanks to the bonuses, district teachers - who make an average salary of $48,000 - can boost their paychecks by several thousand dollars a year. "This is encouraging people to go over the top, above and beyond," says Pat McGraw, a physics teacher and president of the local teachers' union.

Nearby in Denver, voters will soon decide whether to implement a more radical performance-pay program. New teachers would be paid based on principal evaluations, student achievement, and willingness to work at unpopular schools; current teachers would be able to stick to the old pay system or join the new one.

While teachers' unions have opposed merit pay elsewhere and are especially worried about linking pay to student performance, the Denver proposal managed to attract support from a majority of teachers - 59 percent of 2,700 who voted.

The key to creating a popular program, says Denver teachers' union president Becky Wissink, is inviting educators into the process. The proposed system wasn't "imposed," she says, and that made all the difference.

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