my favorite data point on the issue of education reform is that of Washington DC a year ago. The new district leader offered a renegotiation of the teacher's contract in which they would give up their tenure rights in exchange for raises of the average teachers salary so that the bottom would be 70000 and the top would be 120000. The union was flatly against this renegotiation plainly stating that they would rather have security to be mediocre than have the opportunity to earn up to 3 times what they were currently earning.

completely ridicules. to my mind a district that pays their top teachers 120000 solves the entire problem. Imagine the competition for teaching positions in a district in which you start at 70000 at after 7 year you can be making up to 120000. What young ambitious twenty something wouldn't want a job were you could make 120000 a year a have three months guaranteed vacation time in a field in which you can feel confident that you are making a difference and there is clear tangible progress from your work.