Cross-country evidence on teacher performance pay

The general-equilibrium effects of performance-related teacher pay include long-term incentive and teacher-sorting mechanisms that usually elude experimental studies but are captured in cross-country comparisons. Combining country-level performance-pay measures with rich PISA-2003 international achievement micro data, this paper estimates student-level international education production functions. The use of teacher salary adjustments for outstanding performance is significantly associated with math, science, and reading achievement across countries. Scores in countries with performance-related pay are about one quarter standard deviations higher. Results avoid bias from within-country selection and are robust to continental fixed effects and to controlling for non-performance-based forms of teacher salary adjustments.

Research highlights▶ Combines country performance-pay measures with PISA-2003 achievement data. ▶ Estimates student-level international education production functions. ▶ Countries with performance-related pay score 1/4 standard deviations higher. ▶ No bias from within-country selection; robust to continental fixed effects. ▶ Robust to controlling for non-performance-based forms of teacher salary adjustments.