Socio-technical gaps exposed by the United States Department of Education’s teacher incentive fund grant program

Abstract

The United States (U.S.) Department of Education’s Teacher Incentive Fund provides financial support for local school districts, state agencies, and non-governmental agencies to design and implement performance-based compensation systems that reward teachers and leaders who improve student learning. These policies put pressure on data systems and the social systems of supporting organizations to adapt tools and procedures designed for administration and scheduling to deliver high-stakes outcome results. This misfit has led to system failure in some early implementations. It has also led to the development of new technical solutions and unlikely partnerships between social actors in these spaces.