By Kristin

Last February a Senator from Tennessee proposed legislation that would reduce welfare benefits-  "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families" (TANF) – by 30% if children weren't performing in school. 

"Performing" was defined by one journalist as “Advancing from one grade to the next and receiving a score of proficient or advanced on required state examinations in the subject areas of mathematics and reading/language arts."

The bill is dead, considered too punitive, misdirected, and begging for judicial action to make it out of the Senate debate, but it raises some interesting issues because I think we all saw this coming.  Everyone is desperate to find a way to help struggling students perform better, and various sticks and carrots are being designed to make that happen.

STICKS

NCLB outlines consequences for schools that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress.  Consequences include offering supplemental services to families, restructuring the school, or closing it – not exactly the "30% reduction in funding" that Senator Campfield's SB132 threatened, but we all know that schools have experienced what we might call a pre-emptive reduction in funding.  Schools that are struggling  because of high-needs students, lack of resources, under-trained teachers or weak building leadership are encouraged to improve student scores or face unpleasant consequences.

Washington State now has legislation that requires student growth data to be used in teacher evaluations, and there are increasing efforts to exit teachers who can't demonstrate student growth.

Carrots

But there are rewards being used as incentives, too.  Everything from levy grant money to increased salary and more lucrative career opportunities are being offered to teachers, administrators and schools that can demonstrate high student success.  By "success," we're still talking exclusively of reading and math scores. 

In my district, already, if you demonstrate "high" student growth (and you're out of luck if you teach science or art, because there's no way to measure your impact) and you have top-tier evaluations, you can apply for career ladder positions like being a STAR mentor, someone who leaves the classroom to mentor new teachers.

Why carrots and sticks don't alter behavior.

Anyone who has taught or coached knows that carrots and sticks have extremely short shelf lives.  If carrots worked, every student would be earning straight As.  If sticks worked, we would no longer see suspensions, lunch detentions, and kids going to jail.  

Great teachers focus less on the carrots and sticks and more on figuring out what a child needs to be successful.  Great legislators and student advocacy groups should learn from this.  Schools need to be able to care for the emotional, mental and physical health of their students.  Schools need the resources to reach out to families.  Schools need the freedom to offer curriculum and experiences that are meaningful to their students.  Schools need highly skilled leaders who are in touch with what's happening at the student and family level – a human level, not a spreadsheet of numbers.

Schools need legislators who are willing to figure out what schools and families need to help children be successful.  We don't need more carrots and sticks, and neither do families.