An Examination of Principals\u27 Perceptions Toward Teacher Performance Pay in Tennessee

There have been many programs and initiatives used throughout the United States that have answered the call of educational reform; however, performance pay programs continues to lead the discussion of incentives to improve academic achievement. Nevertheless, there continues to be a lack of clarity regarding its effectiveness. In addition, to addressing the challenge of improving academic achievement, performance pay is also being recognized as a tool to assist with teacher retention which has become a serious issue for many school districts across the nation. While many teachers are retiring, many others are taking the option of leaving the profession due to low moral, low compensation, and/or unfavorable working conditions. Many Americans are aware of the importance of having quality teachers in the classroom in order for students to excel. However, even more are beginning to acknowledge the necessity for increasing teachers\u27 salaries as a means of retaining the best and the brightest. The purpose of this study is to determine school principals\u27 perceptions of teacher performance pay programs, specifically in Tennessee. This study also addresses the issues of gaining and retaining quality educators through the implementation of performance pay programs and investigate the principals\u27 perception of pay for performance as motivating factors for teachers and principals to help increase student achievement. Since performance pay has been such a polarizing topic in the education field, this study also examines principals\u27 perceptions of performance pay programs as fair and equitable and whether performance pay improves the instructional effectiveness of teachers. Through this study, the researcher gained greater insight into the thoughts, and opinions of principals in Tennessee regarding the impact of teacher performance pay. While the analysis from Tennessee principals\u27 perceptions from this study did not vary much from other studies, it does suggest that if a performance pay program is to be successful in the state of Tennessee it must be open to all schools in a school district, transparent, and substantial to motivate action. But most importantly, it cannot be a standalone program. There must be other initiatives that will aid in student achievement

[Injuries and dysfunction of the posterior tibial tendon]

The function of the posterior tibial (PT) tendon is to stabilize the hindfoot against valgus and eversion forces. It functions as the primary invertor of the foot and assists the Achilles tendon in plantar flexion. The PT tendon is a stance phase muscle, firing from heel strike to shortly after heel lift-off. It decelerates subtalar joint pronation after heel contact. It functions as a powerful subtalar joint supinator and as a support of the medial longitudinal arch. The action of the tendon travels to the transverse tarsal joints, locking them and allowing the gastrocnemius to support heel rise. Acute injuries of the PT tendon are rare and mostly affect the active middle-aged patient or they are the result of complex injuries to the ankle joint complex. Dysfunction of the PT tendon following degeneration and rupture, in contrast, has shown an increasing incidence in recent years. To which extent changed lifestyle, advancing age, comorbidities, and obesity play a role has not yet been clarified in detail. Dysfunction of the PT tendon results in progressive destabilization of the hind- and midfoot. Clinically, the ongoing deformation of the foot can be classified into four stages: in stage 1, the deformity is distinct and fully correctable; in stage II, the deformity is obvious, but still correctable; in stage III, the deformity has become stiff; and in stage IV, the ankle joint is also involved in the deformity. Treatment modalities depend on stage: while conservative measures may work in stage I, surgical treatment is mandatory for the later stages. Reconstructive surgery is advised in stage II, whereas in stage III and IV correcting and stabilizing arthrodeses are advised. A promising treatment option for stage IV may be adding an ankle prosthesis to a triple arthrodesis, as long as the remaining competence of the deltoid ligament is sufficient. An appropriate treatment is mandatory to avoid further destabilization and deformation of the foot. Failures of treatment result mostly from underestimation of the problem or insufficient treatment of existing instability and deformity