Two interesting stories have come to my attention. Doug Noon’s blog had a story (and some interesting comments) about a school in Alaska that made great gains in testing and then refused the reward bonus offered by the state. Then a story appeared about New York City’s plan to pay students for receiving high scores on their standardized tests.

Pay more to the teachers whose kids test well? Pay more to the kids whose test scores are higher? So the big plan for education has come down to a payola arrangement? Hasn’t anyone heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Motivating teachers with a couple of extra bucks for a higher score only exacerbates the fact that the salaries are barely adequate to begin with. It is a disincentive to recruitment of teachers in the neediest schools.

Sure, I could see that a couple of bucks may motivate students in the beginning. But money isn’t the economy that motivates kids in the long run. I have seen the children of the Haves and the children of the Have-Nots.  The most valuable currencies to spend on children are time and attention. These are commodities that a little incentive money can’t buy.