I have written on several recent occasions about the role of incentives in education, both for teachers and for students (see here, here, and here). Yesterday, David Burkus, editor of LDRLB, wrote about a recent study by Harvard University economic researchers on the role of incentives in teacher performance. Interestingly, they found that incentives (such as bonus pay) are far more effective if given up front with the caution that they will need to be returned if the teacher’s performance is not up to par. When teachers regarded the bonuses as already their property, they fought far more effectively to protect them.

Read more on Education and Incentives…

Jail a new church-state option for bishops?
Terry Mattingly

“I could see myself going to jail possibly at some point over the next 15 years, if God spares me, if I speak out,” the 61-year-old bishop told STV News.

Read more on PowerLinks – 08.14.12…

As an older teen and early twenty-something I hated checking in. I thought telling others where I was or what I was up to was a sign of dependence and immaturity. In my invincible state of mind, I did not see the dangers and pitfalls of being completely on my own. I saw our natural human need to look out for each other as a weakness and not the strength that it is.

Allowing others a window into our lives by checking in is wisdom. Not only does it give the ones who care about us insight into what we are dealing with so they can be a help to us, but it also allows us to process our own experiences by putting our life into words. That is why this summer we have been forming the On Call in Culture Check In Team—to allow those who want to be On Call in Culture the ability to connect with others who value bringing God glory through their work as well as the opportunity to see what they are doing daily as God’s work in the world.
Read more on The Strength in Checking In…

Earlier this month, India experienced the worst blackout in global history. Over 600 million people—more than double the number of people in the U.S. and nearly one in 10 people in the world—were left without power.

Read more on Lawlessness Keeping India in the Dark…

Samuel Gregg, Acton’s Director of Research, has an article in Crisis Magazine entitled ‘Irony of Ironies: Vatican II Triumphs Over Moribund Modernity‘. Challenging the incoherence of modern thought, Gregg remarks

Another characteristic of late-modernity is the manner in which moral arguments are increasingly “settled” by appeals to opinion-polls, choice for its own sake, or that ultimate first-year undergraduate trump-card: “Well, I just feel that X is right.” For proof, just listen to most contemporary politicians discussing the ethical controversy of your choice.

Read more on Irony of Ironies: Samuel Gregg on Vatican II and Modernity…

Acton Research Fellow and Director of Media Michael Matheson Miller will be featured on Christopher Brooks‘ “Christ and the City” radio program this evening at 5:00 p.m. EST. Brooks is the pastor of a Detroit church and his program, which airs from 4 – 6 p.m., addresses matters of faith from a variety of perspectives. Miller will be joining the program to discuss PovertyCure, an Acton educational initiative, and the PovertyCure team’s recent trip to Haiti.

Read more on Miller on ‘Christ and the City’…

Obamacare Mandate Harms the Poor: A Case Study of Catholic Charities
Melanie Wilcox and Luciana Milano, Heritage Foundation

In order to be exempt from fines, Catholic Charities of D.C. would only be able to employ and serve Catholics. That stands in stark contrast with the organization’s mission.

Read more on PowerLinks – 08.13.12…

Jonah Lehrer’s recent firing from the New Yorker prompted The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman to author a wrongheaded apologia for the disgraced scribe. Waxman notes that, ultimately, Lehrer engaged in unethical conduct, but places the onus of his misdeeds on those who purchased his shoddy work.

Jonah Lehrer

The 31-year-old Lehrer, you see, manufactured quotes from whole cloth, freely lifted whole paragraphs from previous self-authored pieces and lied about both when confronted by reporters. Lehrer was fired and his promising career in journalism, for the time being at least, lies in shambles. (All three of his bestselling books are now under review by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.)

By any standard, Lehrer’s actions must be deemed unethical, and should serve as a lesson for those who would attempt to circumvent acceptable business practices in all areas, particularly in journalism, which makes specific claims for conveying objective truths. Failure to adhere to these basic standards is a moral shortcoming, deserving of dismissal.

Waxman, however, writes that Lehrer’s ethical lapses should apply equally to greedy publishers who apply too much pressure on unseasoned writers. She acknowledges Lehrer’s credentials – Rhodes Scholar, neuroscientist, bestselling author of Imagine: How Creativity Works – and determines he “was doing too much, too fast, at too high an RPM.”

The poor, dear child, in Waxman’s universe, is a Dickensian tragedy, forced to pick his own literary pockets in order to survive in an unforgiving adult world: “He found himself lifting from one column to fill another. He cut and pasted passages from his book to pad his New Yorker work.” She asserts: “There is precious little protection out there for young writers in the atomized digital age,” bemoans Waxman. “Few places to learn the basic craft of fact-based reporting, checking sources, double-checking footnotes.” Oh, the iniquity! Read more on Who Shoulders Jonah Lehrer’s Guilt?…

Private Debt Is Crippling the Economy
Anthony Randazzo, Reason

There won’t be a recovery until credit card and household debt levels come down.

For the Love of Country: Why We Should Tax Olympic Medalists
Alexis Hamilton, Values & Capitalism

Read more on PowerLinks – 08.10.12…

Last week, I commented on Grand Rapids Public Schools’ new attendance policy and Michigan’s tenure reform bill. To summarize, while applauding GR Public’s new policy as effectively incentivizing students to show up to class and take their studies more seriously, I was skeptical about MI’s new bill which ties teacher evaluations to student performance. In their article “Can Teacher Evaluation Improve Teaching” in the most recent issue of EducationNext, Eric S. Taylor and John H. Tyler share the results of their study of the unique teacher evaluation system of Cincinnati Public Schools. Read more on Cincinnati’s Promising Teacher Evaluation Method…