"It is the sign of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - AristotleOn February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law (U.S. Department of Education). According to the executive summary on the U.S. Department of Education website, the purpose of this law was to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and provide funding for education. To encourage education reform at the state level, the “Race to the Top” competitive grant program was implemented. This allowed states to apply for grants, provided certain education reforms were underway in state schools. One particular condition of this campaign has led to much debate within our education system, the implementation of a compensation system based on a teacher's academic performance and the methods used to determine it (U.S. Dept of Education). There are many ways to compile data about a teacher and determine that person's performance. Teacher performance may be based on classroom observation, teacher development and continuing education, and student standardized test scores. The controversy centers on the use of student test scores to determine a teacher's performance and therefore his or her pay. Scott Andes, a research analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, articulates the merits of performance-based pay with his article “Getting Serious About Education: Why Can We Measure Students But Not Teachers?” High school English teachers, Jordan Kohanim and Ashley Ulrich, vehemently argue why there is no merit with performance-based pay in their article, “No Merit to Merit Pay Arguments.” In each article both sides discuss how performance-based or merit pay will affect students, teachers, schools and com... halfway through the document ...... they come together and implement a plan for better practices in evaluating performance of the nation's teachers and its students. Works Cited “Race to the Top Executive Summary.” US Department of Education website. September 20, 2010. Web. 2009. November 16, 2010Andes, Scott. “Getting Serious About Education: Why Can We Measure Students But Not Teachers?” Progressive Fix website. 28 July 2010. .16 November 2010Aristotle. QuoteWorld.org. 2010. Web. .16 November 2010Kohanim, Jordan, and Ashley Ulrich. “Teachers: No credit for merit pay arguments.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution website. 28 February 2010. Web. .16 November 2010