Three principles should guide such discussions. First and most important, public education should be centered around the interests of students and families. While this may seem obvious, the fact is as the system has evolved over time, students and families are all too often an afterthought. That has to change. Second, incentives work and should play a major role in the new public education.
People respond to incentives.
Students will seek to excel when they know it matters. They will behave when they know there are consequences. They will follow when others lead. Likewise, people who teach will do what it takes for their students to achieve when they know that student achievement is one indicator of their performance as teachers. They will respond to being singled out for their successes and held accountable for their shortcomings.