Oh, God, please no….
DEVAL PATRICK CALLS FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF MERIT PAY – CASH INCENTIVES FOR WHOLE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND EXCELLENCE
06/13/2006Pledges to Lead State in a Shift from Emphasis on Sanctioning Schools to Rewarding Schools; Advocates Incentives for Collaboration that Benefits StudentsBOSTON – Tuesday, June 13, 2006 — Deval Patrick today pledged to institute a different kind of merit pay in public schools – merit pay awarded to entire schools rather than individual teachers in an effort to foster and reward collegiality, collaboration, and cooperation within schools across Massachusetts.
“I believe wholeheartedly that by working together, people are capable of improving not only their own circumstances and opportunities but the circumstances and opportunities of those around them. This is as true in our public schools as anywhere else,” said Patrick.
Just when I’m ready to jump on the bandwagon, convinced that Patrick has the savvy and charisma to negotiate both liberal base and centrist appeal, the campaign goes and pulls something like this. I think the idea is faulty on the substance, but we really can’t exaggerate how communistic and out-of-touch it comes across as political posture.
In an excellent analysis piece, Adam Reilly wrote that Patrick has a lot going for him but that he has to overcome the Volvo-liberal brand:
To win in November, the Democrats need a nominee who can make inroads with the fiscally conservative suburban independents who fell for Mitt Romney last time around. Could Patrick pull this off? Maybe, if his considerable charisma neutralizes his liberalism. Even so, it wouldn’t hurt Patrick to have a Sister Souljah moment — something that shows independents and conservative Democrats that he’s not totally beholden to his party’s liberal wing.
I’d actually prefer to see some key contrarian policy positions rather than some style-over-substance Souljah posturing, but the point remains. Deval Patrick has the base behind him, he now needs to show that he really is a broad-based candidate.
What’s more, progressives should be cautious in proposing these half measures to chip away at MCAS. Charley, perceptively, complains of Ted Kennedy giving Cape Wind the “paralysis by analysis” treatment; anti-MCAS forces, sensing political forces against them, have latched on to a death by qualification approach. It’s not testing they’re against, you see, it’s just not the right test or given at the right time, or with the proper exceptions. If you want to take it on requisite standardized testing, I say take it on. This hemming and hawing will have all the downside (making your candidate seem to take an unpopular position) with little of the upside (not really dismantling the MCAS).
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