Recently, Education Secretary Arne Duncan no doubt thought it radical to say that teachers should get a $60,000 yearly starting salary and top out around $150,000. He’s hoping this could shift teaching from attracting undergraduates at the middle or low ends of their classes, as it does now, to attracting high-performers who are evaluated, pushed, and paid accordingly.

Duncan might believe he’s thinking big, and so may his audience, but he’s not thinking big enough. His superficial understanding of incentives would, if implemented within existing education mindsets and structures, actually undermine time-tested paths towards creativity and personal success.