Economist Miller's proposal to reward good teaching
September 17, 2007
Economist James D. Miller proposes that colleges give "each graduating senior $1,000 to distribute [anonymously] among their faculty" to reward good teaching.
The proposal has some merits as Miller ably explains, but unfortunately, it also has one big weakness, a weakness Miller doesn't address: currently, student evaluations of teaching significantly help inflate college grades and dumb-down college courses. Both these developments, I would argue, are not socially desirable. Evaluation with $1000 checks attached would worsen matters.