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Incentive pay. More mentoring and peer review. Fewer punitive lists and less of an "end-all, be-all" emphasis on test scores.

Those were some ideas kicked around by a panel featuring an urban education researcher and representatives of business, education and state government. Instead of dwelling on the punitive aspects of No Child Left Behind, panelists agreed it's time to put our energy into positive things if we really want raise achievement for all students.

In a lively dialogue moderated by television commentator Ed Dague, panelists included United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten; Johanna Duncan-Poitier, senior deputy commissioner of the State Education Department; David Shaffer of the Business Council of New York State; Harvard professor Ronald Ferguson; and Albany schools Superintendent Eva Joseph.

Though representing diverse interests, panelists agreed that in order to change the learning environment for students, it's crucial to encourage collaboration and improve working conditions.

They agreed that it's time to take chances.

"In the ocean, you can't stop the wave. You can ride the wave," said UFT President Randi Weingarten. She said that thinking was what led her to negotiate a schoolwide bonus plan that has recently attracted national headlines.

"In schools it really does take a village," Weingarten said. "It's not about one individual teacher. It's about all of us together."

Under the voluntary plan, schools that turn around achievement would be eligible for bonuses up to $3,000 per UFT member. To much applause, Weingarten noted the bonuses would go to all UFT members - teachers, paraprofessional and school secretaries, as negotiated by a union committee.

"We wanted to focus on doing something positive instead of everything being totally negative," said Weingarten, who posted a column on the subject on the NYSUT Web site. "We need to end the scapegoating that makes teachers the problem rather than the solution."

Albany Superintendent Eva Joseph agreed that collaboration and staff involvement were crucial in getting Arbor Hill Elementary School off the corrective action list. "We did it with empowerment of teachers," she said. "It really was a whole package ... a collective decision."

Another positive step is mentoring. "We know mentoring works but it's an unfunded mandate," said Johanna Duncan-Pointier, senior deputy commissioner of the State Education Department. "Unfunded mandates don't work ... those who can afford it, provide it. Those who can't, don't."

Duncan-Poitier said SED is proposing several initiatives to improve teacher recruitment and retention, including legislation that would allow retired educators to teach in high-need areas without penalty to their pension. In addition, she said, SED wants to make it simpler for teachers to get certified in a second subject area.

Duncan-Poitier said it's important for SED to get the data out about high-need subject areas so that youngsters now in school will know where the future teaching jobs will be.

When asked if he was advocating for tax cuts or less spending on schools, the Business Council's David Shaffer said the business community fully supports investment in education.

Of course, "investors, expect a return on their investment," Shaffer said. "In this case, we're talking about the taxpayers."

Shaffer noted the business community is concerned about the quality of the future work force. "To me that trumps all considerations, including money," Shaffer said. "The business community has more at stake in this issue than anybody except the kids themselves."

Shaffer suggested education has turned into one of the most over-regulated industries in America.

Harvard professor Ronald Ferguson, an expert on urban education, challenged participants to "create a social movement that pushes really hard at all the margins."

He asked why it's not realistic for No Child Left Behind to require 100 proficiency for all students by 2014. "The question is : Why isn't it realistic? Who is it that can't change? It's not the kids that can't change quickly. It's the grownups."