RAPID CITY - Rewarding teachers improves student achievement, said a U.S. Department of Education official who delivered a $4.7 million check to South Dakota Wednesday.

"Nothing helps a child as much as a great teacher," Patricia Chlouber from the education department's office in Denver said. "And, research shows us that rewarding teachers for their work can improve student performance."

The $4.7 million check is the first of five annual installments of a $20 million grant the state will receive from the Teacher Incentive fund program that provides $99 million nationwide to encourage teachers to work in disadvantaged schools by rewarding teachers and principals for their students' success, Chlouber said.

South Dakota's award is one of 18 Teacher Incentive Fund program grants awarded this year.

More than 100 children, whose teachers could earn extra money if they do well in school next year, watched state secretary of education Rick Melmer accept the check Wednesday in a ceremony at Knollwood Elementary School.

The children are students at Knollwood, Horace Mann and General Beadle elementary schools enrolled in the Discovery Center summer program.

The Teacher Incentive Fund is designed to reward teachers when their students achieve targeted goals, but it is not merit pay, according to Melmer. He admits that the program could be controversial, particularly with educators opposed to merit pay.

"It's deviating from the norm, but at the same time, if you have problems with the current system, why wouldn't you look at a different system?" Melmer said.

"The neat part is they're taking a team approach, where if a school reaches its academic targets, everybody shares in the goal," he said. "It's not just merit pay for one or two people."

The grant provides performance-based incentives to reward principals, teachers and paraprofessionals in participating schools for reaching achievement goals, he said.

It also supports staff-development programs and rewards educators willing to accept extra responsibilities, according to Mary Baumeister of Technology and Innovations in Education/Black Hills Special Services Cooperative. The grant is a collaborative effort by TIE and the state, which TIE will manage.

"The majority of the money will be awarded to everybody in the school if the schools meet certain expectations of ours in improving student achievement," Baumeister said. "The whole notion here is that it takes an entire school community to move forward."

The grant targets schools in need of improvement under the guidelines of No Child Left Behind, the federal education legislation. The schools selected for the project are also identified as high-need schools because at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-cost school lunches.

Thirty schools in 11 school districts statewide are participating in the project. The school districts involved are Andes Central, Belle Fourche, Bennett County, McLaughlin, Oelrichs, Rapid City, Shannon County, Smee, Todd County, White River and Winner.

In Rapid City, Knollwood, General Beadle, Horace Mann and Robbinsdale elementary schools and North Middle School are part of the project.

Each of the schools in the project has tried a variety of projects to boost student achievement and test scores, TIE director Joe Hauge said.

The Teacher Incentive Fund's goals are to increase teacher and principal effectiveness, put more effective teachers in schools with minority and low-income children and create a sustainable performance-based system, Chlouber said.

"If we expect results from every child, we must support teachers who are getting the job done for our classrooms," she said.

Beginning in the third year of the grant, the state must make a financial commitment to the project, Melmer said. The state money will most likely come from the Teacher-Compensation Assistance Program approved by the 2007 Legislature.

Over the next five years, the program will be monitored to see if it is making a difference in student achievement, Melmer said.

"If it is, then I think we want to talk statewide about looking at a similar type program," he said.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com