Anthony Cody: Things That Money Can’t Buy

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1. Joe Nathan says:

   June 20, 2013 at 10:44 am

   Mr. Cody writes, in part:
   “Ultimately, there are three ways to get people to do something you want them to do. One is to force them, by making the consequences for not complying onerous or unacceptable. The second is to lure them, by offering some sort of bribe or incentive. The third is to get them excited about your ideas, whereupon they may engage with enthusiasm.

   In my experience, real change in education only comes with the third of these methods, because the first two inspire more resistance than cooperation. ”

   Since he is a National Board Certified Teacher, it’s odd that he rejects the “incentive approach.” The National Board spent millions of foundation and public funds encouraging people to apply for their certification. The National Board and its agents convinced some state legislators to allocate $ to help people apply (an incentive) and to encourage states and local districts to give teachers extra pay if they had National Board certification.

   These certainly seem like “incentives” that cost significant dollars which could have been spent in other ways.

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   • bur945 says:

     June 20, 2013 at 2:18 pm

     Yes, they get to PARTIALLY cover the costs involved in making the application and compiling the materials to accompany the application. They are NOT making a profit like Corporations! Some teachers actually believe in “professionalism” and wish to do the best they can for the children they teach. Next, time there is a disaster in a school and teachers risk their lives to protect their students why don’t you think about “incentives.” Clearly, teachers are not as base as you.

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   • 2old2tch says:

     June 20, 2013 at 2:52 pm

     No one is lured into getting their National Board Certification. Obtaining certification requires a subtantial commitment of time and effort to examining and improving one’s teaching. As with any other advanced training, additional compensation may be offered although not guaranteed.

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     • Joe Nathan says:

       June 20, 2013 at 3:14 pm

       There are powerful incentives for people to apply for, and work on National Board Certification. I’ve interviewed people all over the country who worked on National Board Certification. Both the additional pay and the “status” were things that attracted people.

       I don’t think there’s anything wrong with applying for National Board status. But states clearly provided incentives – so I wonder Cody rejects this as one (not the only but one) way to improve public education.

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   • CitizensArrest says:

     June 21, 2013 at 1:12 am

     Cody is rejecting incentives used in a coercive way to get teachers to comply with things that they would otherwise have less than no interest in, things are not in their or their students best interests. It is not the idea of incentives that he rejects so much as the misuse of them in the pursuit of implementing substandard ideas. In that scenario we call them bribes, a payment made to get someone to accept or promote a low quality option that can’t stand on it’s merits alone, something that has no power to excite interest in others.

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     • Joe Nathan says:

       June 21, 2013 at 1:46 am

       Citizens Arrest – I understand what you are saying. But I can’t find the details you provide in his column.
       Think about the “incentive” that is widely offered to teaches to attend additional classes and in-service workshops. Over 40 years I’ve attended many of these – some great, some not so great. One of the reasons that some educators participate in this during the summer and sometimes on weekends is that there is an “incentive…additional pay.”

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2. John Owens says:

   June 20, 2013 at 11:26 am

   Thanks for spotlighting this fabulous, spot-on piece! Anthony Cody brilliantly says what everyone needs to hear! No more “Bad Teachers”! Now it’s time to focus on “Bad BIllionaires” –isn’t there something productive Gates could’ve done with all the money he’s thrown at ruining schools and lives? We’ve paid a huge price for his deep-pocket programs!

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   • bur945 says:

     June 20, 2013 at 2:33 pm

     Really! We always seem to pay the price for self proclaimed “know-it-alls” when it comes to Schools. Why is it those who have never stepped foot in a school since the day they (dropped out) or graduated seem to think they can do better than those who have invested in a higher education as well as time, blood/sweat/tears working to change the tide?

     I agree, we should focus on other BAD people. How about BAD Politicians, BAD Doctors, BAD Nurses BAD (fill in the blank). For example lets make Doctors accountable for their patients recovery rate! Surely, there are lots of tests and measures to determine “adequate yearly progress” for Doctors! But, lets be fair… why don’t we pay everyone based on the “test scores” of the recipients of goods and services they provide? I

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3. Duane Swacker says:

   June 20, 2013 at 4:01 pm

   Money Can’t Buy Me Love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=venzPNvge18

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4. A says:

   June 20, 2013 at 7:16 pm

   Gates is worried about the money he will lose if the anti-testing backlash gets any stronger. He wants to sell his product, that’s all that matters.

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