This paper discusses the assessment of educational policies, particularly teacher bonus pay in public education policy. We analyze the assessment of the policy implemented in the City of New York and draw a parallel with the Brazilian situation concerning the assessment of this kind of policy. Based on the literature on public policy evaluation and using documentary analysis for the New York experience and the situation in Brazil, this paper presents the evaluative experiment in New York, identifying and analyzing its design and purpose and the use of information from the process as a resource for government decision making. In addition, we show that in Brazil the assessment of this policy requires greater support of policy makers so that assessment results can be used in policy planning and improvement.