DESCRIPTORS *Compensation (Remuneration); Elementary Secondary

Traditionally, teacher compensation has been viewed in isolation from other components of organizational reform. This paper examines changes in dominant models of schooling over time using an organizational lens. The six models include scientific management, humanistic/specialization, effective schools, content-driven, high standards/high involvement, and virtual schools. Teacher compensation is examined as a piece of the organizational system to determine how compensation has or has not kept pace with changes in schools as organizations. Throughout the latter half of this century, the dominant teacher-compensation strategy supported organizational values, goals, and structures of the scientific-management model. However, teaching has become a complex task with high demands for knowledge and skills in pedagogy, subject-matter content, leadership, and management. This change requires that organizations focus structures and resources to support teachers in meeting these organizational goals and expectations. Teacher compensation is a valuable organizational component that could be used to support the skill and knowledge development of teachers, and to provide incentives for teacher teams and school faculties that improve their students ' achievement. Teacher compensation should be examined as an element of school systems that can be restructured to reinforce overall reform goals and strategies. While avoiding simplistic individual incentive and merit-pay plans, policymakers should consider large components of skill-based pay, team and school performance awards, and other pay structure changes. One figure and one table are included. (Contains 29 references.