Bill Gates Delivers a Powerful Speech on Education Reform To State Education Superintendents

From Saturday's NY Times:

"[Gates]plans to urge the 50 state superintendents of education to take difficult steps to restructure the nation’s public education budgets, which have come under severe pressure in the economic downturn.  He suggests they end teacher pay increases based on seniority and on master’s degrees, which he says are unrelated to teachers’ ability to raise student achievement. He also urges an end to efforts to reduce class sizes. Instead, he suggests rewarding the most effective teachers with higher pay for taking on larger classes or teaching in needy schools...'Of course, restructuring pay systems is like kicking a beehive'"


full article here
 
The complete speech and all associated materials can be accessed here.  The 28 minute speech was outstanding and the corresponding materials strongly support the assertions Gates makes in his remarks. Every education policymaker in our nation should see this, in my opinion.  
 
In the brief question and answer session after his speech, Gates goes into great detail in explaining the choices of causes his foundation supports worldwide.  It's a very revealing and interesting conversation.