President Barrak Obama's administration has found a solution to the problem of merit pay for teachers. The administration said this program will give teachers the incentive they need to deliver the highest level of quality desired by the nation (Gratz). Teachers across the United States had problems with the new proposal, but they also found it very beneficial. Merit pay for teachers will be based largely on test scores, meaning students will have a big impact on the teacher's career. So the question is will this be good for teachers or will it harm their careers? Although this appears to be beneficial for students and staff, the long-term effects could be disastrous for the entire education system. Merit Pay is “a salary increase based on a set of criteria set by the employer” (Labor Secretary Perez) has been on many teachers' minds lately. Many questions were raised when the topic was discussed at the NEA (National Education Association) meeting two years ago. President Obama created a Race to the Top fund that raised $4.3 billion to create the Merit Pay (Rosales) program. This program will help states have the funds they need to provide good teachers with the bonuses they deserve and the salaries they need. It is common knowledge that teachers are seriously underpaid. This program will create new opportunities for teachers to get the pay they deserve. Additionally, this program will ensure that teachers focus on their productivity to receive these bonuses. Teachers need to think creatively and inspire students to want to succeed in their exams. The premise of this whole ordeal is to put America back at the top of the education race. China is progressing rapidly... middle of paper ...... student heirs, the nation should really ensure that the leaders of the future have more incentive to work at a good pace. The New York Times wrote an article about teachers in their major suburbs making six figures. The requirements however are that they must be the most experienced in their work and have the most education (Fessenden and Barbanel). In short, merit pay for teachers will have great causes but not enough positive benefits. The Obama administration must put in place a system to pay teachers fairly and safely. If President Obama is not willing to implement and fix this fundamental program, then it will be the duty of Congress and the presidential administration to meet this great challenge. This may still be a problem in the years to come, but we hope that the issue of merit pay for teachers will be resolved in due course..