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Monday, January 17, 2011

Public Policy Blogger: Must-see Video by Daniel Willingham: Weaknesses and pitfalls of test-score based merit pay

Public Policy Blogger: Must-see Video by Daniel Willingham: Weaknesses and pitfalls of test-score based merit pay

Must-see Video by Daniel Willingham: Weaknesses and pitfalls of test-score based merit pay

Excellent video by Daniel Willingham (Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia). In layman's terms, with two hypothetical classrooms, he demonstrates the weaknesses and pitfalls of merit pay proposals (using value-added measures) that are based on short-term performance on standardized tests. (h/t Tom Whitby)

A must-see for parents who care about the depth and quality of education they expect for their children. A must-see for business leaders who wrongly equate classrooms to businesses and believe that current merit pay proposals are workable and will be beneficial. Unless developed in a more comprehensive, thoughtful way, they are destined to be unfair, unhealthy and unsound.