New Evidence on the Effect of the Denver Public Schools Professional Compensation System on Teacher Attitudes and Student Achievement

• In Event: Experiences in Teacher Evaluation Systems

Abstract

Recent studies have found weak relationships between teacher pay-for-performance and student achievement. This study evaluates new evidence regarding the efficacy of Denver Public Schools’ pay for performance professional compensation (“ProComp”) system, which has existed since 2004-2005. ProComp is unique in that it provides teachers with many different ways to earn bonuses (e.g., growth in student achievement, professional development, working in a high-poverty school). Possible effects on student achievement are estimated using a multilevel modeling by comparing teachers who have and who have not opted into ProComp (roughly 1,600 in total) across three years from 2009-10 to 2011-12. In addition, teacher attitudes are examined using focus groups with 47 teachers and a district-wide survey.

Authors

• Michael Laurence Turner, University of Colorado

• Charles Bibilos, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Andrew Maul, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Derek C. Briggs, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Elena Kitaoka Diaz-Bilello, National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc.