Should teachers receive incentive pay for improving student performance?

On October 23, U.S. secretary of education Margaret Spellings announced the first handout of the Teacher Incentive Fund, a federal grant program that offers cash bonuses to teachers and principals in disadvantaged schools who succeed in improving their students' academic achievement. This $5.5 million grant to the Ohio Department of Education will, Spellings says, bring high-quality teachers to schools in low-income districts and encourage teachers to work together to narrow the achievement gap.

Others, however, argue that incentives based on student performance are unfair. They punish educators for what is outside of their control, increase divisiveness between faculty members, and may in fact do little to bring the best teachers to schools where poor working conditions and a low base salary are the norm. Do you think these kinds of incentives are good for schools? We're interested in your opinion.