The second-largest school system in Virginia, Prince William County, is considering incentive-based bonuses for teachers and administrators, according to the Washington Post.

The bonuses would be used to motivate and reward teachers that serve poor or challenging students.

This could be a great way to reward teachers, but also to strengthen struggling schools, which would be great for homeowners who live near under-performing schools. Good schools have a postive impact on the property value of surrounding homes.

"Prince William County school officials unveiled a plan Wednesday to offer bonuses to teachers and administrators in high-performing schools that serve poor or challenging students.

The plan, if approved by the School Board this month, will be submitted to the federal government for possible funding and could begin next school year.

Prince William, Virginia's second-largest school system, is one of scores across the country that are developing pay proposals tied to student performance thanks to new federal money and fresh interest from the nation's top education officials.

'We had talked about merit pay or performance pay informally over time. But when the Obama administration again came out and recommended those kinds of approaches . . . I just felt like it was time to stop talking about it and start moving forward,' said School Board member Grant E. Lattin (Occoquan), who asked officials to put together a plan.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is offering $4.35 billion in federal "Race to the Top" grants to states that adopt innovative changes, including pay-for-performance plans. And President Obama's education budget dramatically expanded grants for local school systems to change their compensation systems."

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