Last week, the New York City Department of Education suspended its controversial multi-million dollar program that awards bonuses to teachers based on student testing performance. The decision to suspend the program is apparently linked to the dramatic drop in the numbers of schools awarded the bonuses--26 schools this year compared to approximately 160 the year before.
The Department of Education has left the door open for the bonus program to return pending the results of a RAND study.
"This was always a pilot program, and we don't yet know its impact on student achievement," said Barbara Morgan, a department spokeswoman, of the bonuses. "We have commissioned an independent study by the RAND Corporation that is due late this spring, and we will make a determination about whether to continue this program based on the results of that study."
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