Describe an idea (yours or someone else's) that you believe could significantly improve education. How would it change education?

Idea: A “draft-market” system for teachers’ selection of students, merit-based pay, and need-based allocation of teaching resources.

Premise: K-12. Assume a framework of regular standardized tests.  Students may advance through tests at any schedule.

Selection of Students: On regular schedules, teachers draft their students in rounds. Four key indicators indentify each student: their Level—the number of tests they have passed; Rank—the percentile in which they score; Special Considerations—such as any learning disabilities, handicaps, etc.; and, Resource Points.

Merit-based Pay: The advancements in Rank and gains/losses in Level that individual students make determine the teachers’ pay. This is based on a scaled schedule that accounts for both the entrance Rank of the student and any Special Considerations. For example, gains made by a student entering in the 60th percentile would initially pay at a higher rate than those for a student entering at the 90th percentile.

Resource Allocation: Resource Points are the currency teachers use to purchase teaching resources. Resource Points are equitably allotted to each student with additional Resource Points for Special Considerations. After each round of the draft, all unclaimed students are given an additional Resource Point, thus allocating resources to the more difficult students.

This efficiently allocates resources across diverse students.  Students deemed “difficult” are passed initially then, round after round, build an allocation of Resource Points until the Points are sufficient to offset any challenges and the student is drafted.

The Implications: Assume open parameters regarding several classroom norms: class sizes as small as three and as large as hundreds; teachers that specialize by Level, Rank, and/or Special Consideration; teachers that progress through Levels with their students; teachers that form partnerships or groups.

For students, this creates a system that incentives customized teaching and ensures that they are allocated the resources needed for success.

For teachers, this creates a flexible system that allows them to specialize and work with a subset of students in which they can have the largest impact. 

The outcome would be a system where teachers would be allowed to specialize and target their draft picks.  For example, one teacher may find their strengths lie in helping many advanced students accelerate quickly through the Levels while another teacher finds that they can help fewer struggling students make large percentile gains in the Ranks with more individual attention.  Using a scaled pay schedule gives teachers in both scenarios financial upside and incentives.