# How to fix inner city education?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-inner-city-education/65128>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 11, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-inner-city-education/65128 "2001-05-11T21:25:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-inner-city-education/65128/61 "2001-06-05T17:26:52Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Weird\_AL\_Einstein \*  
> \*\*…suggest two non-voucher-related ideas…  
> pay teachers according to their abilities, not seniority. Merit pay, in other words…  
> The “crazy” idea is this: pay the students themselves to learn. \*\*

Both these ideas sound like they’re worth considering. Two comments:

The first depends on the commitment and capability of the Principal. I’ve seen and heard of wide variation.

The second reminds me that my wife and I finally had success toilet training our first-born, when we stopped berating her for accidents, and started giving her an m&m every time she produced

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