Educational Performance Contracting: An Evaluation of an Experiment

Description

1. Introduction 2. Rationale and Structure -- Initial Rationale -- The Goals -- The Design -- Selection of Firms, School Districts, and Students -- Problems with the Selection Procedures 3. The Experiment in Action -- The Companies' Programs -- Launching the Experiment -- Obtaining the Consent of Parents -- Miscellaneous Problems 4. The Results -- Interpreting Test Results -- Overall Results -- Results for Individual Sites -- Other Indications of Success 5. Monetary Incentives in Education -- The Contracts -- Specific Incentive Provisions -- Contract Problems in Education 6. Performance Contracting and the Strategy of Experimentation -- Major Shortcomings -- Effect of the Experiment on Educational Policies -- Lessons for the Future Tables: - 2-1. Performance Contracting Firms, by Educational Approach, Teacher-Student Ratios, and Use of Paraprofessionals, 1970-71 School Year - 2-2. Individual Site Characteristics in the Educational Performance Contracting Experiment, by Contractor, 1970-71 School Year - 4-1. Attrition and Test Data for Experimental and Control Groups, by Grade, 1970-71 School Year - 4-2. Differences in Gain between Experimental and Control Groups, by Grade and Test Subcomponent, 1970-71 School Year - 4-3. Differences in Gain between Experimental and Control Groups, by Grade and Subject, 1970-71 School Year - 4-4. Pretest and Post-Test Scores of Students in the Experimental Group, and Gains, by Grade and Subject, 1970-71 School Year - 4-5. Grade Equivalent Gains of Experimental over Control Groups, by Site, Contractor, Grade, and Subject, 1970-71 School Year - 4-6. Regressions Explaining the Differences in Individual Site Results, by Grade, Contractor, Region, and Other Characteristics, 1970-71 School Year - 4-7. Attendances and Absences, Experimental and Control Groups, by Grade, 1970-71 School Year - 5-1. Ratio of the Variance of Gains of the Experimental Group to Those of the Control Group in the Educational Performance Contracting Experiment, by Subject and Grade, 1970-71 School Year - Figure 2-1. Typical Educational Performance Incentive Contract, 1970-71 Experiment