Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 29

Many researchers have advocated that teachers’ compensation
should be based at least in part on factors besides experience and
education, such as student achievement gains and the functions a
teacher performs in a school. In an attempt to address this challenge,
the state General Assembly passed a teacher equity pay plan in
fall 2006¸which requires every district in Tennessee to develop
a differentiated pay plan “to aid in staffing hard to staff subject
areas and schools and in hiring and retaining highly qualified
teachers.” 49 Although creating a plan is mandatory, some districts
have not allocated funds to implement their plans. As Figure
3.12 illustrates, nearly two-thirds of districts’ differentiated pay
plans include performance bonuses for teaching in hard-to-staff
schools, 35 percent include tuition reimbursements for teachers
with advanced degrees or certification in certain subjects, and 35
percent provide salary bonuses for National Board Certification.
Only nine districts reward teachers for student achievement gains
and only three districts provide bonuses for mentor teachers.50

The only significant statewide financial reward for teachers
is the Milken Family Foundation award, which is a $25,000
award given annually to Tennessee’s most effective teachers.
Since the award began in Tennessee in 1992, over $1 million
has been awarded to outstanding teachers in the state.
In the past few months, the Governor’s office has launched
a major effort to improve teacher effectiveness. Specifically,
Tennessee was one of six st FW2F