Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Second Edition/17.7.1
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How Should Society Reward Outstanding Students and Teachers?
Brenda Kilmurray
The topic of how society should reward outstanding students and teachers is complicated and controversial. There are many different philosophies and considerations. I plan on examining the following methods of reward to get a better understanding of the pros and cons.
Contents |
[edit] How Should Society Reward Outstanding Students?
There are those who feel that a "student's hard work and diligence are their own rewards." (Etters 2005) However, in the hopes of inspiring greater achievements, I will explore the following methods of student rewards.
| What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child. -- George Bernard Shaw |
[edit] Positive Reinforcement
According to Learning and Motivation in the Classroom (Svinki), positively reinforcing good behavior or high achievement is far more effective than punishing bad behavior or low achievement. One way a students can be spotlighted in a positive way is through the student of the month program, where excelling students are allowed to have a special lunch with the principal. Another effective reward program is special assemblies where the student has to earn admittance, with both good grades and good behavior. When using the reward system for behavior modification the trick is to observe the student acting in accordance with the expected discipline, and reward them immediately. The cons to this reward system are, "that rewarding students for activities that are intrinsically motivating can decrease their motivation to engage in those activities in the future." (Kohn) Also, it is important to understand the student, so as not to draw unwanted attention to the child that would embarrass them in front of their peer group.
[edit] Incentive Programs
Research shows that offering incentives to students can raise grades and improve standardized test scores. Brookhaven Middle School which is a Title 1 school, gave away eight bicycles at an assembly. Principle Larry Collier wanted to recognize the honored students and give the remainder of the student body incentive to achieve and act appropriately. He also gave four more bicycles away at a basketball game so that the parents could be involved. “Overall, this has been the best year so far discipline wise that I’ve had in my nine years as principal,” Collier said. “The students are just making better decisions. The teachers are also trying to be more consistent with the discipline.” (VA Pilot) Many urban school districts are having success with offering incentives, not only by increasing academic performance, but also improving the overall discipline of the student body. The con to this method is that some feel we are bribing our children to perform academically. Missing the opportunities to teach the lesson, a good education is its own reward.
[edit] Monetary Rewards
Jay Katzen a Republican state delegate had a proposal, reward students scoring high on the state's new standardized tests. He believes that we need to take positive reinforcement to a higher level. There is one motivator that most people can agree on and this is money. He proposed money for the students, their teachers, the schools, and tax credits for their parents. “You and I probably were in that category of learning for learning's sake," Katzen said. "But as teachers tell me, children need different stimuli." He proposes $200 cash for students excelling in Standards of Learning tests on core subjects - science, math, English, history, and social studies. A $600 tax credits for the parents of the students, to enlist their help in education their child. And $80 contributions to the classroom budget to the student’s core subject teachers. The overall goal is to bring together, student, teachers, and families with this process. (Beacon Journal) Although this reward method sounds exciting and full of potential, some would argue that is not very realistic. One of the cons is that it creates a competitive learning environment and those who do not get recognized will start to dislike school. (Kohn) Some opponents liken this reward method to blackmail.
[edit] How Should Society Reward Outstanding Teachers?
According to President Bush, "Great teachers deserve America's thanks, praise, and acknowledgment of success."
| The mediocre teacher tells. The Good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. -- William Arthur Ward |
[edit] Performance Based Pay
Under most current systems of a salary scale, teachers are rewarded for the number of years spent teaching and the number of degrees they have obtained, rather than their performance. This does little to encourage teachers to excel in their profession, it is argued; "that any non-merit-based system is unfair for outstanding teachers because they are judged on inefficient criteria." (Beavis) Under the No Child Left Behind law, states will receive funding to design and implement rewards for teachers that have made the most significant progress in meeting yearly progress. They will also be able to design programs to assess and reward teachers based on growth in student achievement in the classroom. Finally, stipends will be granted to effective teachers who teach in low-income schools. This will ensure that low-income minority students are taught by highly qualified teachers. (ed.gov)
[edit] Performance Based Bonus Programs
Some school districts are experimenting with bonus programs, setting aside money to award to individual teaching efforts. Bonuses have occurred in the past, but the school was rewarded, not the individual. One such district experimenting with the new bonus plan is the Houston Independent School District. "The HISD school board set aside $14 million this year for bonuses that are meant to reward top teachers and lure the best educators from neighboring school systems." (Mellon) As a result, it is possible for a teacher in one classroom to earn thousands, while the teacher in the room next door gets nothing. Specifically, the bonus plan is divided into three categories, all based on test scores. The broadest category compensates teachers based on how much improvement students in the entire school make in one year, compared with similar schools across the state. Certainly those who received the bonuses had no complaints, as many were planning to take a much needed vacation. However, there are some who oppose such a bonus program. Leaders of the district's largest teachers unions have spoken out strongly against the performance-pay plan, calling it confusing, unfair, and divisive.
[edit] Education Awards
An award is something given to a person or group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field. Awards are often signified by trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons. An award can carry a monetary prize given to the recipient or simply be a public acknowledgment of excellence, without a tangible token or a prize. There are many different awards education ceremonies designed to bring attention to outstanding teachers. Just to name a few Special Education, Social Studies, Math, Science, Technology, Foreign Language, English, Language Arts, Character Education, and Art Teacher Awards. There is also an award given for teacher of the year. (ed.gov)
[edit] Multiple Choice Questions
1. Terrence has been acting out, and has had difficulty getting his work done. Rather than address his acting out you wait until he is sitting quietly and doing his work to draw attention to his behavior. This is known as:
a. Monetary Reward b. Incentive Based Program c. Performance Based Pay d. Positive Reinforcement
2. The Juniors at Seafoam High School have been told by their administrators that anyone who scores a superior score on their tests will receive $100. This is known as:
a. Monetary Reward b. Incentive Based Program c. Performance Based Pay d. Positive Reinforcement
3. At Brookhaven Middle School their principal gave out several bicycles as a reward for excellence in behavior and academics. This is known as:
a. Monetary Reward b. Incentive Based Program c. Performance Based Pay d. Positive Reinforcement
4. Mrs. Dotter at Greenbreeze Elementary School was presented with the Teacher of the Year Award. This is known as:
a. Monetary Reward b. Incentive Based Program c. Performance Based Bonus Program d. Education Award
5. When Mr. Franklin started teaching World History I at Brown High School, the SOL scores were at an all time low. Within two years the scores improved by 40%. He was presented with a check for $2,000 for his efforts. This is known as:
a. Monetary Reward b. Incentive Based Program c. Performance Based Bonus Program d. Education Award
[edit] Essay Question
Do you think that rewarding outstanding students and teachers is effective and produces long term results?
[edit] Works Cited
Associated Press. (2007, January 22). Coshocton City Schools to decide if experiment will be worth renewing. In School District Rewards Students. Retrieved February 2, 2007, from Beacon Journal Web site: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/education/16516937.htm
Beavis, O. H. (2003, February/March). A Literature Review. In Performance-Based Rewards for Teachers. Retrieved February 2, 2007, from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/47/34077553.pdf
Bowers, M. (2003, March 9). 2-4-6-8, Let's Hand Out Cash For Grades That Rate. In Rewards and Incentives. Retrieved February 2, 2007, from The Virginian Pilot Web site: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/
Kohn, A. (1999). The Trouble With Carrots: Four Reasons Rewards Fail. In Punished by Rewards (chapter 4). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Svinicki, M. D. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn. In Learning and Motivation in the Classroom (pp. 141-176). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.
The White House. (2007, January 8). Fulfilling the Promise of No Child Left Behind. In America's Teachers. Retrieved February 2, 2007, from http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040922-1.html
[edit] Answers to Multiple Choice Questions
(1)d (2)a (3)b (4)d (5)c
[edit] Essay question with an example response
Do you think that rewarding outstanding students and teachers is effective and produces long term results?
I do not believe that rewarding students and teachers is effective because the results produced only last a short time. If a student is striving for excellence because of an incentive, what happens when there are no rewards being offered? Will that child fail? In a perfect world students would be intrinsically motivated to do their very best out of a sense of pride. The student would believe that the reward of a good education is a good education. If the student is only doing their best work for a reward, when will the cycle stop? Will you need to blackmail the student every time there is a test or project due? And will the rewards need to get larger each time? The same philosophy applies to teachers. It is no surprise that teachers did not choose this profession for the money. Their motivations usually have a deeper sense of wanting to work with children and contribute to society. There are not many teachers who would say no to a performance bonus or an award, but I believe those same teachers would perform at that same level without being rewarded. It is my belief that the consistently outstanding student and teacher's do so intrinsically without outside motivation.
[edit] Essay answer by Jillian Dudley
I believe that both students and teachers should receive rewards. A reward system can be highly effective at receiving results and having those positive results stick. It is critical though that the rewards are proper for the person and situation. It is my belief when it comes to teaching students that they are motivated by positive reinforcement and not by fear of punishment. In the classroom, rewards should be consistent and appropriate. If tokens are used, the students should understand what the tokens represent and the teacher must ensure that the prizes or rewards stay of interest. If the reward is no longer desirable then the students’ positive behavior will cease. As far as rewarding outstanding teachers, I am a firm supporter of this idea. Working in various schools I have witnessed numerous teachers teaching and professional habits. I have observed top quality teachers and teachers that I wonder how they have even managed to stay in a classroom for a school year. Those teachers that come into the classroom everyday and presenting the best possible lesson, and teaching their students to the best of their ability deserved to be rewarded. I do not believe that two teachers that put forth opposite levels of performance should receive the same pay. As far as whether or not the outstanding performance of the teacher will continue, the answer is obvious. If the teacher is an outstanding teacher than he or she will still be an outstanding teacher regardless of the fact that they are receiving an award. Those teachers are in education because they enjoy teaching.
