The Importance Of Performance And Compensation Plans

Mrs. Miller is a dedicated teacher who has been teaching inclusion classes for 25 years and teaches to truly make a difference in the lives of her students. She works with special education students hands on and is not only looked at as an educator but a role model to these students that she has formed such close relationships with. The state of Maryland has decided to adopt a merit pay system in which teachers are paid depending on how well their students perform. A technology system will be used to determine the amount of salary increase and decrease. This system uses four steps to establish the pay. These steps include: establishing performance and compensation plans, manage performance, evaluate performance, and link performance to†¦show more content†¦Merit pay could be a detrimental cut to her pay if she continues to teach solely the special education students. The ethical dilemma is that Mrs. Miller could teach the advanced class and earn more money because those stud ents will perform better, or Mrs. Miller can stay with the inclusion class and continue to change the lives of students like she originally intended to when becoming a teacher. Regardless of the decision that Mrs. Miller makes, someone ends up at some sort of a disadvantage, whether it be her students, herself, or her family. There are many other people to consider when making this decision. The decision she makes will reflect her morals. This ethical dilemma deals with professionalism and code of conduct. The stakeholders would include Mrs. Miller, Ms. Smith, Special Education students, Mrs. Miller’s children, and the school community. In the case of an ethical dilemma, the best solution is not always clear. There are many different individuals and circumstances to consider when finding a solution. The following solutions address the dilemma Mrs. Miller faces. These include, Mrs. Miller teaches the advanced class, Mrs. Miller teachers the special education class, Mrs. Miller teaches both classes along with Ms. Smith, or that Mrs. Miller starts a petition against the merit pay system. Carol Gilligan’s Ethics of Care Framework is an appropriate ethical framework to use when assessing this dilemma.