Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 19

March 8, 1995 A 1 9 rreaneMay, Mar J-ump the mastery tests and get back to learning Wednesday, Robert M. Crispino Reneal the test. TVip enough provides the incentive for a "do well at any cost" attitude to prevail among educators. The danger in this approach is that pressure on students to succeed would be far greater than the repercussions now felt from taxpayers who complain to superintendents, school boards and newspaper editors whenever results don't meet expectations. Alfie Kohn in his book "Punished By Rewards" provided evidence about the damaging effects that gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise and other bribes have on the character and performance of children, and adults.

Although manipulating people with lincentives seems to work in the short Irun, Kohn says, it is a strategy that ultimately fails. Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you'll get that. We dangle goodies in front of people in much the same way that we train the family pet. Repeal the test. It is time for the development of a Connecticut public school system that supports an atmosphere of openness, trust and accountability to mutually agreed upon goals, standards and procedures.

Mas tery Test is a state mandate that needs to be abolished. Gov. John G. Rowland effectively made matters worse for anyone involved in public schools by proposing to monetarily reward school districts with the best mastery test scores. I wish Rowland's educational advisers had taken the time to research the connection between reward and punishment before this plan was proposed.

Had they done so, they would have discovered that rewards and punishments are just two sides of the same coin Rewards punish. They destroy relationships by encouraging competition instead of collaboration. If the goal of schools is to have children memorize facts and learn skills in isolation so that their schools can earn financial gain, then we have lost sight of the ideals of meaningful learning. However, if we want to instill in each student the ability to find workable solutions to even the most complex prob-? lems, then we must design a curriculum that supports that goal without having to rely on extrinsic motivations. It is our responsibility to be cognizant of, and sensitive to, the messages we send to students by our actions and policies.

Tin i t. i John Overmyer Special to The Courant will get for engaging in a task, they will do only what is absolutely necessary to get it. A system based on rewards discourages risk-taking, questioning, respect for individual differences and other higher-level thinking skills necessary for brilliant solutions to surface. Furthermore, rewards undermine interest. As a public school teacher in Connecticut for the past 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand how a system based on rewards can have a demoralizing, negative effect on a student's desire to learn.

Children are naturally curious. They arrive in kindergarten full of wonder at the world around them and excited about the simple tasks they can do. Homework becomes a constant complaint, even for the best students, and life at school becomes, for many, a six-hour social gathering. For others, it is nothing more than an ordeal. The optimistic, glowing luster of kindergarten seems to fade with each passing year.

By the time students graduate, skepticism has replaced their optimism. The ideal of producing lifelong, self-directed learners is negated by reliance on the published results of standardized mastery tests. As a result, teachers have no choice but to create environments that force students to accept a predetermined curriculum. Students are not only told what they have to learn, but how they have to learn it, and what will happen to them if they don't. Or what they will get if they do.

The system holds students in the intellectually limited role of consumers of knowledge instead of the more intellectually responsible position of producers of knowledge. In addition, the promise now of financial reward if students perform well Robert M. Crispino of Watertown teaches science in public schools in Naugatuck. wncii peupie mum aDout wnat they Blacks' belief in Simpson's innocence shows society's deep divisions Mom Charen When the 0. J.

Simpson trial is not farce, it is tragedy. Two people have lost their lives, and the trial has limned just how divided white racism has disappeared in America. But I am struck by the earnestness of many white Americans' demonstrating their lack of it. On the almost lily-white Republican primary campaign trail, Alan Keyes, the black former diplomat, is bringing audiences to their feet. With no money and no organization, he stands almost no chance of winning.

But in straw polls, he does better by just showing up than some of the white candidates in the race. Yet the black response to the Simpson trial makes it seem that efforts at good will by whites go unnoticed in the black community while paranoia sells well. devoted to race relations and urban issues, as follows: "I talk to intelligent, successful black people all the time who sort of wink and say, 'Well, even if he did it, he must have had a good or 'I don't care if he's innocent or guilty, let him Similar sentiments are expressed frequently on black talk-radio programs. That is not the way Americans should talk. That is Bosnia.

He killed someone? Well, before we know whether to frown or smile, we need to know what color (religion, race) the victim was. If one of ours killed one of theirs, let him go. That is not the language of civil society. It is the language of outright warfare. Is that really how a majority of African-Americans see race relations in this country? I would not be so foolish as to suggest that we are as a people.

It is truly depressing and dis piriting to see the diametrically Kxc li A opposed views of whites and blacks on the subject of Simpson's guilt. According to a Harris poll conducted last month, 61 per To many whites, those sentiments are jarring. Cochran is an expensive lawyer who has shamelessly and shamefully stoked fires of racial animosity in the attempt to get his client off (never mind willfully withholding evidence on two occasions). With no credible alibi, and a mountain of incriminating evidence about his client, Cochran has done far more than merely plant doubt in the minds of the jurors. He has sought, irresponsibly in my view, to plant suspicion of a vast police conspiracy to frame Simpson.

Such seeds have fertile soil in which to grow, alas. Long before Simpson found himself under arrest, shockingly large numbers of black Americans told pollsters that they believed in something called "The Plan," an effort by white doctors to spread AIDS in the black community. If white people are already attempting to commit genocide, it is a small matter to believe in a police conspiracy to falsely convict one very prominent black man of murder. Los Angeles' black police chief, Willie Williams, held a press conference to debunk and deplore the notion of a police conspiracy against 0. J.

and, indeed, the evidence put forward in the trial so far seems to suggest that the police were, if anything, overly friendly toward Simpson. But that has had no effect on a majority of African-Americans. The New York Times quotes Laura Washington, publisher of the Chicago Reporter, a magazine Mona Charen is a syndicated Washington columnist. Advertisement cent of whites believe Simpson to be guilty. But 68 percent of blacks believe him to be innocent.

In the face of the overwhelming evidence of Simpson's guilt, why do so many African-Americans want to believe in his innocence? This is dangerous stuff on which to speculate. But it's important to probe especially for those who have not given up on the idea of a united United States. According to The New York Times, Johnnie Cochran Jr. is viewed as a hero among many blacks. Earl Graves, publisher of Black Enterprise magazine, recently toasted Cochran as "our new Joe Louis," adding that "he has made us proud." A newer a Politicians should wear sponsor logos cirCo Don Noel Gov.

John G. Rowland last week unveiled the latest in the state tourist promotion arsenal: a racing car that will tour the televised Indy Lights series of races around the country. Its "Spirit of CONNECTICUT" name will be seen live and on television by millions of people who may then decide to vacation or do business here. in i niiiir The Hartford Health Care Corporation and VNA Health Care are proud to announce a new era in patient care. In our 235 combined years of service, VNA Health Care and the Hartford Health Care Corporation, Hartford Hospital's parent company, have provided the highest quality health care treatment, therapies and comfort to patients and their families throughout Connecticut.

Over the years, millions of people have left our hospital after surgery or other treatments, confident they would receive from their home care nurse, therapist, aide or social worker the same compassion and expertise they knew during their hospital stay. Through an exciting new affiliation, these two premier health care providers will combine resources to offer a fully integrated system of health care delivery. Because of our new affiliation, we can provide a continuum of care from preventive health measures to acute tertiary to long-term care. It's the same dedication our patients and their families are used to receiving, delivered in a more managed, efficient way. We look forward to serving our community's future health care needs through this resourceful, dynamic integration of two time-honored local health care institutions.

and reputations for extra income. Politicians, on the other hand, generally claim the money they raise to win election does nothing for the sponsors. If it doesn't, it should. How about some visibility for those big donors? The first step is probably a uniform: neat blazers in colors that identify party affiliation. Each officeholder would be required to sew on the blazer a patch identifying his or her major campaign contributors.

A modest two-inch medallion for corporate, trade or interest groups that collectively anted up $2,500. A 3-inch patch for $5,000 contributors. A whole lapel for $10,000 donors. For governors and senators, who would be hard to find amid the patches and lapels, big donors might get a placard on the desk or lectern, perhaps even a pennant or balloon. Whenever television or still-photographer cameras focused on the officeholder during debate or in a news conference, the sponsors would get a bit of subliminal advertising, just as they do in sports events.

As some sports fans do, viewers might assume the endorsements are strictly commercial deals. But some might go buy the products their heroes advertise, as many sports fans do. Most politicians complain about the money-grubbing they do to win election. Contributors, on the other hand, can only hope their investments will win the votes of those they sponsor: It would be indiscreet and illegal to make any quid pro quo explicit. But no law bars politicians from wearing their benefactors' colors and insignia.

With their corporate logos boldly displayed, donors would at least be sure that their messages are seen, even if they don't always get the legislation they want. They might line up to contribute. Politicians would have something they could sell without feeling guilty. On the other hand, legislators might take a first step this year toward public financing of campaigns, so that office seekers wouldn't need Jo sell logos, pennants or their souls to special interests. But if they're going to stick with special-interest funding, the least they should do is wear a little advertising so their sponsors can get their money's worth.

I'd been mulling the growing practice of displaying corporate logotypes in sports and the possibility of doing it in politics. This may be the way to get rid of the baleful hidden influence of big money on government: Make it readily visible. Racing cars have long been high-speed billboards for oil additives, tires, automobiles, airlines and any other corporate endeavor that helps underwrite the car and driver. The practice is spreading. Tennis stars wear togs that identify the products they have endorsed; so do golf pros.

Basketball players' shoes are prominently labeled. The Kraft (cheese, etc.) logo was prominent going'down with the Ausste America's Cup entry over the weekend. Baseball has long sold outfield fence space so that TV viewers will get a subliminal message as they watch home runs. A recent, controversial innovation is to sell space behind home plate, where it will be seen in shots from behind the pitcher. A hockey picture on a Courant sports page a week ago Sunday showed the Buffalo goalie blocking a shot.

The call letters and frequency of the local station carrying the game were prominent on his mitt. If politics had the crowd appeal of sports, constituents would follow the voting records of politicians as closely as they follow batting averages. That ought to be a goal of democracy. Maybe it would help if politicians wore, as proudly as do sports heroes, the corporate logotypes of the people who made their elections possible. This may not catch on right away.

Politicians unlike athletes, aren't accustomed to weanng their Margaret J. Cushman President VNA Health Care, Inc. John J. Meehan President and Chief Executive Officer Hartford Health Care Corporation wallets or their hearts on their sieeves Athletes long ago began selling their names Don Noel is The Couranfs political columnist..