Varieties of Knowledge and Skill-Based Pay Design

Authors

  • Anthony Milanowski University of Wisconsin-Madison

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v11n4.2003

Keywords:

Design of Knowledge, Skill Based Pay

Abstract

This article describes the design of knowledge and skill-based pay systems for K-12 teachers in six U.S. school districts and one charter school. Based on a theory of action that relates knowledge and skill- based pay systems to improvements in instruction, and the expectancy theory of motivation, seven dimensions for comparison are identified and the systems are compared based on these dimensions. While there were a variety of reasons for designing new pay systems, similarities included that teachers were involved in the design processes, and that the knowledge and skills rewarded are more closely related to instruction than in the traditional salary schedule (though none of the systems placed heavy emphasis on content-specific pedagogy). Most systems made use of existing standards or definitions of good teaching, such as the Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 1996). While most of the systems involved performance-based assessments of teacher skills, in no case were seniority and graduate degrees eliminated as a basis for pay progression. Few of the programs had developed a coordinated professional development program specifically linked to the knowledge and skills rewarded by the new pay system. Implications for policy makers and system designers are drawn.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Anthony Milanowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Anthony Milanowski is an Associate Researcher with Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and a participating faculty member of the Industrial Relations Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997. Prior to joining CPRE, he worked in human resource management for 16 years, primarily with the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations. His current research interests include teacher performance evaluation, pay system innovations, and the teacher labor market.

Downloads

Published

2003-01-29

How to Cite

Milanowski, A. (2003). Varieties of Knowledge and Skill-Based Pay Design. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11, 4. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v11n4.2003

Issue

Section

Articles