Rather than cut Head of School salary, why not raise teacher pay? Pink also claims that people work their best when money outside of work is not a concern; ie, when a person is paid enough to actually live comfortably, other factors regarding motivation can be examined more effectively.
I would also argue that lack of autonomy (for both teachers and administrators) has decreased, and that this is a more significant factor in reducing creativity/motivation than pay. For Heads of School, this frequently takes the form of Board micromanagement. For mid-level admins, this frequently takes the form of Board micromanagement (as they reach past heads), Head micromanagement, and negative parental involvement (and I'm talking about helicopter parenting, as opposed to the appropriate involvement of parents in their child's education). For teachers, it takes the form of a lack of support as they try anything experimental/outside the mold of what parents feel will get their children into the best school possible (regardless of whether or not that school is actually a good fit for their child).
In short, *every* aspect of the educational chain needs to value the educational mission, and needs to safeguard it -- and this assumes, of course, that the educational mission is both clearly articulated and supported throughout the organization. But it gets down to hiring good people, paying them a fair wage, giving them the autonomy to work well, and making sure that individual and organizational reviews are in place to support quality work, and remediate anything that doesn't align with the organizational standards.
Fred (and Pat) -- thanks for starting such a great thread.
Cheers,
Bill
----- Original Message ----
From: David F. Withrow <DavidWithrow@harfordday.org>
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Sun, January 10, 2010 6:00:23 PM
Subject: Re: One Answer to Pat Bassett's Closing Question in his January Blog Post
I believe the conversation began with the idea that Head compensation has outstripped
teacher compensation to the detriment of the schools. I understood that Fred and others
called upon a return to the Heads primary responsibility as the shepherd of the school's
educational vision. What I was attempting to indicate, perhaps ineloquently, is that the
structure of most boards is to maintain fiscal responsibility in the short term.
Conserving the vision is often the default position due to the extraordinary demands
these days on Boards and, therefore, the Heads.
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