Posted by Beth at AFT

This week's Gadfly has it all figured out.  The lead piece by Checker Finn includes this bit (bolds are mine):    

"High-performance schools have been studied for at least twenty years and we know, more or less, what sets them apart. They have a clear mission, team spirit, a coherent curriculum and pedagogy (though these take many forms), talented teachers, and values that embrace success."

Further down, here’s what the Gadfly has to say about Houston's latest merit pay debacle:

"But if you really want to engulf the teacher lounges in acrimony, make the list of individual bonus winners (and losers) public for all the world to see."

The Gadfly solution to that pesky acrimony:

"Of course, there's another way to reward great teachers without all the combustion: give principals the discretion to quietly award bonuses to their top performers, based mostly on student test-score gains, as most managers in America can do. Same result, less drama."

So, high performing schools work as a team, transparent bonuses break apart the team, but secret bonuses keep the team intact.  Uh-huh, let's all take a moment to picture how this would play out in our own workplaces.