Do not think about, write about or deal with human behavior until determining the effects of incentives.
Here are two quotes from websites devoted to Central Falls High School, the school in Rhode Island where all the teachers were “fired” because of abysmal academic results.
“Central Falls High School: A University of Rhode Island Academy, will be a model school that offers a rigorous diploma system with high expectations for all students, while fostering and supporting partnerships between its members and the greater community.”
“Mission of Central Falls High School
Central Falls High School is a standards-driven teaching and learning community that promotes literacy, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking, civic responsibility and the skills necessary for living and working in a culturally diverse society.”
In their defense, they said were special, they didn’t say they were any good.
In the talks which would lead to the “turnaround” of the school, they were discussing everything except the curriculum and teaching methods, the only things that will work and, yet, they call themselves experts in education.
“My horses couldn’t pull the binder fast enough, so I saved my money and bought a tractor.” Many years ago, my father was driving a binder, a piece of harvesting machinery that produced sheaves of, in this case oats. Our team of horses, a faithful and lovely pair called Kate and Bess, (I’m not making this up–if I did the horses would have more poetic names) couldn’t pull it fast enough, so he hitched it to a tractor. The point of this story is that one method wasn’t working so he used another. This is what necessity dictates when you can’t change the amount of grain by telling people how much there is, how hard you’re trying, how sincere you are, how tough the oats are, etc..
Cheerio and ttfn,
Grant Coulson
Cui Bono–Cherchez les Contingencies
