There are different kinds of motivation, and the kind matters more than the amount.

We learn most readily, most naturally, most effectively, when we start with the big picture - precisely when the basics don't come first.

The legendary statistical consultant W. Edwards Deming, . . . has called the system by which merit is appraised and rewarded 'the most powerful inhibitor to quality and productivity in the Western world' . . . it is simply unfair to the extent that employees are held responsible for what are, in reality, systemic factors that are beyond their control.

Learning is something students do, NOT something done to students.

If I offered you a thousand dollars to take off your shoes, you'd very likely accept--and then I could triumphantly announce that 'rewards work.' But as with punishments, they can never help someone develop a *commitment* to a task or action, a reason to keep doing it when there's no longer a payoff.

When was the last time you spent the entire day with only 42 year olds?

Assessments should compare the performance of students to a set of expectations, never to the performance of other students.