Rewards and Punishments

Have you noticed that we've moved away from materials rewards and exclusionary punishments in the classroom? In their place, teachers have been trained in positive behavior support and strategies to build intrinsic motivation in students. I always thought that teachers did the best job possible because of their fundamental belief in and dedication to students. I don't know anyone who entered the profession because of the fabulous pay scales or potential earnings. So, it seems contradictory to me to use material rewards and punishments for teachers that are based primarily on students' test scores.

Until recently student assessments and teacher evaluations have included multiple measures. Now some sectors want to minimize the value of a teacher's experience and quality of instruction and discount their contribution to school improvement in favor of basing pay largely on standardized test scores. This is akin to determining the health of a child solely by his or her height.

In a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html, the authors make the point that we don't blame soldiers when the war isn't easily won, rather we give them better equipment and training. Perhaps strong mentoring and relevant professional development combined with adequate resources and mandatory parent involvement can help turn around America's schools. Rewards and punishments haven't worked in the past and they won't work now.