Second, it seems odd -- well, in O'Reilly's case, not so odd -- that Justin is being singled out when there are scores of student-athletes from wealthy, and famous, families who have similarly accepted merit-based scholarships.
"Given the economy, we thought that more students not eligible for need-based financial aid from Yale might accept merit scholarships offered by a number of excellent colleges".
One official said that the union had already "crossed the threshold" to accepting merit pay by negotiating a draft agreement with Mr. Levy that would give teachers at high-performing schools free airline tickets as a reward.
Mr. Giuliani's plan is unusual because while a sizable number of cities and school districts award workers merit pay in addition to general pay increases, it is almost unheard of for a government body to persuade a union to accept merit pay as the sole basis for raises.
As for the stalled contract negotiations, the teachers have reportedly offered, in return for salary increases, to work longer hours, be subject to faster disciplinary proceedings and accept merit-based pay increases depending on the performance in each school, rather than in each classroom.
Universities with high teaching ratings should be able to charge less, not more, to ensure that all who can benefit most from great teaching are accepted on merit.
Barker began using the pseudonym Gerald Wiley when writing sketches because he wished the pieces to be accepted on merit and not just because he, as a star of the programme, had written them; he continued this tradition with the material he wrote later in his career.
First we all endorse model A, then model B is cast in opposition to it, then it is accepted that both have merit, but efforts are made to quantify their relative applicabilities-with A-ists and B-ists each trying to bias the results in their favor.
After long opposing any form of merit pay, Ms. Weingarten has signaled, to the outrage of some union members, that she may accept schoolwide merit pay.
In contrast, Mr. Giuliani wants the union, which represents 80,000 public school teachers, to accept individualized merit pay, in which some teachers in a school would receive bonuses, while others would not, depending on how their students perform.
The debate between paying full tuition at an elite institution or accepting a merit scholarship from someplace less prestigious "is a conversation we have all the time," said James Conroy, chairman of post-high-school counseling at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Ill., an affluent suburb in Chicago.
