The Shawnee Mission (Kansas) schools have set up an employee recognition system that has raised pride and staff morale. To serve the district's diverse 4,000-person staff, the "Celebrate Success" committee recommended that a staff magazine, an idea pool, a corporate identity, and an awards ceremony be created. (MLH)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Your local high school students might never get to see their names up in lights. But with talent, luck, and determination, they might get to see their names in print--as winners in the World Almanac's high school records contest. As a way to recognize and reward teenage achievements (and undoubtedly…

Describes a motivational program in the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools that caused a dramatic improvement in custodial staff professionalism and school building cleanliness. The plan emphasized the importance of clean schools, teamwork, and accepting responsibility for one's work. (MLH)

Too many leaders depend on the organization's formal processes to recognize people who have given outstanding performance or served beyond duty's call. One superintendent honors superlative staff accomplishments (or endurance of tough circumstances) by designing personalized awards for presentation at board meetings or other public functions. (MLH)

South Carolina school districts have been testing three different teacher incentive program models: the campus/individual model, the bonus model, and the career ladder model. All have problems and limited effectiveness. The solution will be a program based on rewarding merit rather than providing teacher incentives. (MD)

Describes an Ohio school program that awards honorary high school diplomas to outstanding and distinguished Ohioans. (MD)

Palatine High School in Chicago, Illinois, honors average students who try hard. Teachers are urged to look beyond the high-profile students and seek out the quiet achievers. (MLF)

Outlines five myths used as arguments against teacher merit pay. While teacher preparation, salaries, and evaluation are essential elements of performance pay plans, they should not be isolated from related issues. Includes a sidebar on problems the Fairfax County (Virginia) merit pay plan is encountering with the teacher union. (MD)

Argues that students' standardized test scores should be used to evaluate teacher performance for purposes of merit pay. (JW)