Do you think “pay for performance,” which Duncan championed as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, holds promise?
PS: I think that it’s off-target. The real issue we should be talking about is how we can get our most talented teachers into the schools with the greatest need, and I’m not sure “pay for performance” quite gets at that. We do need some kind of differentiated pay scales, and the neediest schools must get the most resources, not the fewest. These schools need the best principals, the best leadership. We also need teachers in those schools to be rewarded, but I’m not clear that the “pay for performance” proposals that are out there right now are aimed at getting the best teachers into the schools with the greatest need. HC: President Obama also advocates support for more charter schools. What’s your opinion? PS: Charters, like regular public schools, have been a mixed bag. We have 70 in Philadelphia; some are really exciting places, some have been havens for creativity, which there isn’t generally a lot of space for in public schools, and some have really excelled academically, but as a
