School districts nationwide have seized on the idea that a key to improving schools is to pay for performance, whether through bonuses for teachers and principals, or rewards like cash prizes for students. New York City is in the forefront of this movement; more than 200 schools are experimenting with one incentive or another. Can money make academic success cool for students disdainful of achievement? Will teachers pressure one another to do better to get a schoolwide bonus? So far, the city has handed out more than $500,000 to 5,237 students in 58 schools as rewards for taking several of the 10 standardized tests on the schedule for this school year.
Click here to read The New York Times article.
RELATED: Prince George's County, Md., education and labor leaders have unveiled a pilot program that will offer teachers and administrators at 12 schools incentive pay for good performance. To read The Washington Post article, click here.
