As new NCLB legislation will soon be introduced, now is the time for action.

Merit Pay for Teachers vs. Merit Pay for Students and Families
How will merit pay for teachers benefit the 74% of Kindergarten/First Graders who on their first day of school are not reading ready and thus start out behind? How will merit pay for teachers improve their achievement at this critical stage of learning and development? (Based on the inner city school I work in, typical though of inner city schools).
You know what they say; those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. Researching Merit Pay as far back as 1710 it is apparent Merit Pay systems have always failed. Merit Pay leads to falsified results and a narrowing of the curriculum.
There is a better way. Individual College Accounts or ICAs benefit all Americans equally, provide incentives for parents to enable children to arrive at school reading ready, and help make college or trade school affordable to all, but especially to those in greatest financial need.
Here is how ICAs work. When a child is born $5000 is placed into an ICA account in the child’s name. The money matures as a Roth IRA would. When the child arrives at school and is reading ready, the parents get $2000. If the child is not reading ready the $2000 goes to the school district to help the district afford extra expenses required to enable that child to read at grade level by fourth grade. The remainder of the money continues to mature.
When the child graduates high school, a percentage of the ICA goes to the college or trade school of the child’s choice. The percentage is based on grades, behavior, and parental involvement.
Please contact the elected officials below who are reforming N.C.L.B. and ask them for ICAs for families instead of Merit Pay for Teachers.

Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon
U.S. House of Representatives
2351 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
ph:(202) 225-1956
fax: (202) 226-0683

Congressman George Miller
2205 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2095
George.Miller@mail.house.gov

Congressman Mike Castle
Washington Office
(202) 225-4165
Fax: 202-225-2291
1233 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Dale Kildee
2107 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-3611
202-225-6393 fax