Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last November when the tabled report on Education Renewal and Innovation Framework was originally discussed, the most alarming statistic for me was our truancy rates in the Northwest Territories. This statistical failure, coupled with our students’ low test scores and literacy rates were echoed by many in this room.
The truancy statistic that I couldn’t shake was that by Grade 4 the average NWT student has already missed half a year of school, or two full years by Grade 10. I mean, how do you begin to tackle the biggest elephant in this territory?
My search for answers did not come up with much success in Canada; in fact, even broadening my search yielded very little in terms of tangible solutions, other than more theories. However, I did stumble by chance on an economic paper by one Roland Fryer that talked about what economists were learning about Pay-4-Performance with students. In fact, this was a bona fide 40,000 student study in 261 schools in Greater Washington, DC, New York, Chicago and Dallas area where researchers gave $6.3 million in rewards to schools.
What did these policy-makers, economists and researchers discover in these controlled experiments? For one, incentives for output did not increase achievement. That is, the study showed paying students directly to get higher test scores failed to yield results. However, paying students to read books yielded a large and statistical increase in reading comprehension.
Second, and speaking to our NWT truancy rates, they found students improved their test scores when they were focused on improving the input to achievements such as attendance and behaviour.
Yes, I know, it’s always a bit risky to lean too much in any one study, even though this case study was controlled and randomized. So is there an application for the NWT to learn from? Seriously, if this controlled study concluded that by paying students to read books, come to school daily, sit in class and without causing a ruckus and other so-called input, all this showed a higher yield on test scores, then what is the risk in the NWT to repeat the parameters of this study?
This is the only gold standard study that tested assumptions of financial incentives for student achievement, to my knowledge, yet this has had policy-makers south of the border at least pause and consider such options. Even the Auditor General of Canada reminds us that change starts with the right framework which is measured by the right investment.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted