The answer is no. Innovative teaching methods should be a minimum requirement in the world of education. Why, therefore, should schools, or districts receive additional remuneration just for doing their jobs?
It should be the goal of every school, or indeed every school district, constantly to improve the achievement of pupils. Sadly, while parents and politicians constantly mouth the platitude “that education is critically important”, there is very little evidence of this being the case in practice.
For parents, schools are little more than advanced childminding centres that keep their children off the streets for a few hours each day. Parents are seriously put out when they have to look after the children in school holidays. The vast majority of parents show little or no interest in what is happening in the children’s education.
Thus, while parents may, when asked, say that they would want to improve the quality of education in their children’s schools, the reality is that most of them do not even know what quality education actually is – probably as a result of being poorly educated themselves.
Similarly politicians. Any would-be politico knows very well that he has to toe the line when it comes to education. He doesn’t have a clue what it is about, but he knows the right noises to be made.
“Rewarding schools, and indeed school districts, for innovative teaching” sounds like just the sort of ticket a politician would need. Of course, it presses all the right emotional buttons. But does it do any good?
Education is indeed a critical process. It involves two important principles: first of all it is the sacred duty of one generation to pass on its knowledge and skills to the next generation. Secondly, and more importantly, young people need to be taught to question everything, and to be independent and critical thinkers.
For example, in the debate about the creation and evolution the critical thing is not that children should be taught one dogma or the other but that they should learn to be sceptical and critical of both sides of the argument, and that they should be very wary of any adult who attempts to “educate” without presenting both sides of the discussion with all their weaknesses and their strengths.
It is very doubtful that any politician would be supportive of a scheme where children’s achievement is measured in the amount of critical questioning, and independent thinking that they demonstrate. It is doubtful also that most parents would be willing to have such a state of affairs.
So, providing some sort of financial reward for schools that try innovative amid methods to improve pupil performance, sounds like a “pseudo capitalist”, “vote catching” political ploy, but it is doubtful that it has any real education on merit.
