For example, school programs that reward students with money, prizes, or privileges for academic accomplishments or effort are more effective if they reward students for mastering a certain skill, such as reading a book or solving a problem.
Because we have been unable to define effective teaching, we now reward teachers for easy-to-measure proxies like master's degrees and seniority, even though there is no evidence that these things help students learn.
Once the MET research is completed, we hope that school districts will work with teachers and their unions to create fair and reliable evaluations that reward teachers who are effective and identify and help those who need to improve.