Interesting Education Study

From the Chicago Sun Times: What happens to student achievement if you start the school year by offering teachers end-of-year bonuses for improved student test scores?

Not much.

But give teachers cash up front on the condition they will lose it if test scores don’t show gains?

Lots of improvement.

That’s what researchers say a study of 150 Chicago Heights teachers found in what some are touting as the first U.S. field experiment to indicate merit pay for teachers can work — if timed properly.

For one school year, the research project by heavyweight economists from the University of Chicago and Harvard University — including the author of the best-seller Freakonomics — turned nine elementary schools in Chicago Heights School District 170 into a teacher testing ground of a behavioral phenomenon called “loss aversion.’’...

Chicago Heights teachers given $4,000 upfront on the condition they could lose it — or double it with the right results – produced 2 ½ to 3 ½ times the gains in student math scores as teachers offered up to $8,000 in end-of-year bonuses, the study indicated. Similar findings were not observed in reading, where researchers encountered more technical glitches.  http://www.suntimes.com/14687664-761/cash-upfront-the-way-to-get-teachers-to-rack-up-better-student-test-scores-study.html

First thought, it's all about the money.

Second thought, it's all about the money.