| Pittsburgh Schools have not shown significant | | | | Pittsburgh Schools' principals to make much |
| improvement as measured by the Annual Yearly | | | | more than with the step increase system. |
| Progress (AYP) assessment. Due to the | | | | |
| district's inability to show improvements | | | | Pittsburgh Schools initiated the pay for |
| mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act for | | | | performance plan last year with the |
| 4 consecutive years, Pittsburgh Schools were | | | | principals of the eight new accelerated |
| required to make significant changes in the | | | | learning academies. However, it is too soon |
| 2006-2007 school year. Those changes included | | | | to tell how much the students have benefited |
| closing 22 schools, opening accelerated | | | | in that short period of time. Pittsburgh |
| learning academies, and adding more k-8 | | | | Schools have shown very small, very slow, |
| schools. | | | | improvement in meeting the AYP targets. |
| | | | Overall advances of 3% in 5th grade math and |
| Superintendent Mark Roosevelt felt the "slow | | | | a record 9% in 8th grade reading do little to |
| improvement" of Pittsburgh Schools also | | | | put Pittsburgh Schools where they need to be. |
| required some other big changes, starting at | | | | |
| the top. Pittsburgh Schools will institute a | | | | Is the pay for performance plan the answer? |
| district wide administrator training and | | | | A rating scale using "rudimentary", |
| management plan called the Pittsburgh Urban | | | | "emerging", "proficient" and "accomplished" |
| Leadership System for Excellence (PULSE). | | | | will be used in areas of academics, community |
| PULSE will require greater support for new | | | | relations and academic success. Pittsburgh |
| principals, enhanced training for potential | | | | Schools is one of many urban districts to |
| administrators, and tougher standards on | | | | grapple with the issues of meeting rising |
| principal evaluations. But the most notable | | | | academic standards. The question of offering |
| component is the plan to eliminate annual | | | | both administrators and teachers merit pay |
| step increases, and institute a pay for | | | | has bee a hot topic between unions and |
| performance plan, for all Pittsburgh Schools' | | | | academic observers for decades. While the |
| principals. | | | | issue of bonus pay for performance has not |
| | | | often been used with Pittsburgh Schools' |
| Pittsburgh Schools applied for an $8.9 | | | | teachers, if it is successful with the |
| million federal grant to fund the program, | | | | principals, teachers may not be far behind. |
| and anticipate a response in June of this | | | | |
| year. If the grant is approved, the | | | | Will it work? Opponents have suggested that |
| traditional step increases Pittsburgh | | | | the academic world operates differently than |
| Principals are used to will be replaced by a | | | | the corporate one, and that incentives won't |
| $2000 increase in base pay. That would be | | | | work. Others insist that the lack of |
| tied to progress in meeting 28 | | | | performance-based pay is one of the biggest |
| performance-based goals. The other part of | | | | problems with Pittsburgh Schools and public |
| the incentive would include bonuses of up to | | | | education as a whole. Stay tuned. Grading |
| $10,000 for demonstrated academic growth | | | | principals may be the most notable reform |
| among students. This would position | | | | Pittsburgh Schools institute this year. |