Tuesday September 9, 2014 – 11am
Posted Sep 9, 2014 02:32:04 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
11:00- Vicki Alger, Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute
Teacher compensation in Canada is stuck in a time warp. It is determined by a rigid salary schedule based on tenure and advanced degrees-factors that have little if any positive impact on student achievement. Outside of the teaching profession, surveys suggest that close to three-fourths of Canadian employees already receive performance-based and variable pay. In fact, compensation based on results is the rule rather than the exception at more than eight out of 10 companies worldwide because this approach is one of the most effective strategies for attracting and retaining top talent. Countries other than Canada realize that education practices of the past cannot meet the needs of a competitive 21st century world. Consequently, the number of countries implementing incentive pay for teachers is proliferating after decades of increasing education funding overall with no commensurate improvement in student achievement. The 10 case studies included in this global survey were selected because they reward teachers based primarily or solely on student achievement. This criterion means that numerous compensation schemes are excluded because they reward teachers based largely (if not exclusively) on inputs such as seniority, length of time teaching, professional development, or credentials, and not on student achievement. This global survey offers key lessons , they include: define expectations for teachers with teachers; support teachers in meeting stated expectations; reward teachers as promised; build programs to last with smarter spending; and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
11:30- Ray Rice Banned From NFL
Better late than never, the Baltimore Ravens have banished Janay Palmer’s husband, Ray Rice, for what happened in that Atlantic City casino elevator back on Valentine’s Day weekend. Please don’t confuse this with doing the right thing. If the Ravens cared about Janay, or their image or maybe even their fading running back, they would have cut ties back in May when the only available video only captured the aftermath, where Rice is seen dragging his then-fiance not-at-all-tenderly or remorsefully through the doors of the elevator after he (presumably) hit her. Once it was determined she was struck by Rice, the precise details about how that happened became irrelevant. The NFL failed this common sense test way before the prequel came out. The grainy video, released by TMZ Sports, shows Rice and Janay Palmer in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino. Each hits the other before Rice knocks Palmer off her feet and into a railing. Months ago, a TMZ video showed Rice dragging Palmer, now his wife, from the elevator at the Revel casino, which closed Sept. 2. In a higher-quality video shown to The Associated Press by a law enforcement official Monday night, Rice and Palmer can be heard shouting obscenities at each other, and she appears to spit at Rice right before he throws the knockout punch. After she collapses, he drags her out of the elevator and is met by some hotel staff. One of them can be heard saying, “She’s drunk, right?” And then, “No cops.” Rice didn’t respond. The video, which is slightly longer than the TMZ version and included some audio, was shown to the AP on condition of anonymity because the official isn’t authorized to release it.
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