Brian Peterson, editor of the Miami Education Review, offers four steps to that goal on teachdade.com, a nifty Web site we discovered today that focuses on the Miami-Dade school system.

His ideas seem simple. But for some reason they don't often get implemented. Check them out and then comment away.

Peterson recommends:

• "A large raise for the teachers in exchange for much higher levels of accountability that would include firing 1 percent of the teachers each year for the next 10 years."
• "A program to refresh the corps of school principals with superior individuals. The pay of principals should be increased along with that of teachers – with perhaps a 33 percent increase over three years."
• "Seek a national grant to revitalize the role of parents in school governance and in helping students do better in school."
• "Create more orderly and less violent schools through broad implementation of Restorative Justice – especially in schools with a history of violence."

The right path to get all schools on their way to excellence? Or just a bunch of hooey? You decide.

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