“We Are Professionals; We Are Paid as Professionals”: Supporting Professional Learning Through Compensation Policy

• In Event: Roundtable Session 100
  In Roundtable Session: Policy Issues Related to Teacher Compensation

Abstract

The Professional Learning Based Salary Schedule (PLBSS), an alternative salary schedule negotiated between Portland Public Schools and its teachers’ union, awards teachers credit toward salary increases for various forms of professional learning, including college courses, continuing education units, district workshops, and individual self-directed professional learning or service activities. This policy has received national attention as an alternative that offers a middle stand between shielding teachers’ salaries from any accountability measure and holding teachers accountable for student achievement. The National Education Association contracted us to evaluate implementation and progress toward achieving the PLBSS policy goals. This paper reports the impact of PLBSS on key areas: (1) salary and staffing, (2) professional learning, (3) teacher practice, and (4) student learning.

Authors

• Sharon F. Rallis, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Andrew Churchill, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Rachael Lawrence, University of Massachusetts