School may be out for summer vacation, but school administrators across the nation have been busy sharing their thoughts and opinions on some of the hottest topics in education today. As part of the American Association of School Administrator’s 2009 Summer Survey series, AASA members answered questions about pay-for-performance and common standards. The survey results are revealed in a new report, the “2009 AASA Summer Survey Series: Common Standards & Pay for Performance.” While AASA members generally support common standards, opinions about pay-for-performance programs are more diverse.
Common Standards Survey
A total of 179 school administrators from 44 states completed a survey about common standards in July 2009. Highlights from the survey include:
* Seventy-eight percent of respondents agree/strongly agree with the statement “I favor a single set of common standards/tests to replace the current system where each state has its own standards and creates its own tests.”
* Reinforcing their interest in a collaborative effort, an overwhelming majority (88 percent) of respondents think that federal, state, local and education leaders should be involved in creating the standards.
* Fifty-six percent of respondents identified “leaders and politicians positioning themselves as education reformers” as the biggest reason for the increased attention to common standards.
Pay-for-Performance Survey
A total of 536 school administrators from 45 states completed the pay-for-performance survey in May 2009. Highlights from the survey include:
* Roughly 45 percent of respondents expressed moderate to strong interest in exploring pay-for-performance programs, whether at the individual, group or system level.
* The number-one motivation to implement performance pay is improving student achievement, followed by improving teacher effectiveness.
* Successful implementation of pay-for-performance models will require an ongoing dialogue that involves all members of the education community to answer tough questions, covering everything from who is involved and what the model will look like to how the model will be evaluated and sustained.
To read the full report, visit 2009 AASA Summer Survey Series: Common Standards & Pay for Performance at www.aasa.org.
