Problem: Many teachers lack subject knowledge, especially in mathematics. I like Bostonian's idea of hiring specialists in math and science in the lower grades.
Pennsylvania is starting to do this soon, with a new 4th-8th grade certification (preK-3rd is the new elementary ed certification). They are requiring that teachers specialize in one area (math, science, social studies, reading). They will need 30 credits in their chosen area, plus 15 credits in each of the other areas. I think it's a good idea, BUT you have to realize that this is going to have to be somewhat at the expense of education classes and electives - this is 75 credits of subjects! As a comparison, you only need 39 credits of math at Pitt to get a B.S. in Math, so the 4th grade math specialist would only be 3 classes away.
Problem: The US public school system has huge disincentives to maximizing knowledgeable, talented people among the teaching ranks. As noted, bonuses, pay raises, and promotions (e.g. "Teacher I" to "Teacher II") could address these problems.
Did you happen to watch the video I posted previously about whether money actually motivates people to perform better on the job? It's very interesting! In PA, a new teacher starts with an Instructional I certificate for his/her first 3 years. They are probational (not covered by tenure) at this time, and they need to have 6 evaluations (2 per year). It is the school district's job to weed out the bad apples while they are Instructional I. If all of the evaluations are good, they move to Instructional II, get tenure, etc. I understand that some teachers give up trying and become bad teachers after those first 3 years, but I think that most of the bad apples could probably have been picked out during that time. Administrations need to do a better job of weeding out.
I'll also add that the current system shortchanges gifted kids and slower learners by not allowing them to learn at appropriate paces. Suggestion: ability grouping, acceleration and...umm... deceleration (?).
The reason that so many people dislike the idea of merit pay is that clearly the objective is to make this merit pay based on standardized test scores rather than any subjective measures. Merit pay based on standardized test scores will create a few negative incentives. First, teachers will get as far away as they can from the lower students and schools plagued by poverty and low scores. Second, even fewer resources will be devoted to students who are already proficient or above average. Everyone will want to teach them, but that doesn't mean that they will get the best teachers. For example, if Mr. Principal's niece is a teacher, he may give her a big group of gifted kids and no special ed or learning disabilities - she will get a big bonus for twiddling her thumbs. If Mrs. Great-Teacher ruffles some feathers by challenging the district on something, she may get all of the learning support kids next year - she will not be getting a bonus.
NCLB has been horrible for the upper half of our kids, putting all of the focus on the kids who aren't achieving. IMO, this is exactly the opposite of what our system should be doing. I wish we could have more of a European system, where kids are tracked into different types of school/career paths based on aptitude and achievement when they hit middle or high school. The kids who are either very smart or who are willing to work to have great achievement are the ones who really need to be prepared to go on to college and grad school - they are the ones who could be curing cancer or solving the debt crisis, etc!
I don't think that there are any easy solutions to solving our educational problems. I think that, as is typical in the US, no one wants to take responsibility. It definitely comes from both sides, but it is naive to think that a teacher can completely turn around a student's education without parent support. At the same time, a truly devoted family can ABSOLUTELY guarantee that their children get a good education in our country. When most of us grew up, it was our job to be good students, get our work done, and behave in school. I had a few good teachers, but most of them were just mediocre. Today, I have seen firsthand the way the parents can completely undermine the authority of the teachers and school, letting their kids get away with everything under the sun.
