This report is based on a review of six teacher compensation programs operating at the district, state, and national levels in the United States.  Authors place this analysis in the Canadian context through exploring the opinions of parents, teachers and principals on performance-based compensation and associated evaluation practices.

Despite the growing number of experiments with performance pay for teachers in the US, the evaluation literature remains quite limited and inconclusive. However, models examined in this study demonstrate a variety of approaches taken to incorporate system-wide reform linked with financial bonuses.  A clear message from Canadian principals, teachers and parents is that a range of issues need to be tackled simultaneously including building professional development capacities in schools, evaluating levels of teaching effectiveness on factors wider than student achievement on tests, and ensuring leadership is adequately supported. The findings of this report inform current perspectives and aim to stimulate further dialogue and investigation on issues related to teacher evaluation and compensation.

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