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August 17, 2007
It pays to study, reallyThese days, where everyone from Capital One to Coke and Pepsi are offering rewards, it was only a matter of time before schools started doing it too. BoardBuzz first reported on this topic here and here. And today our friends at USA Today are debating the subject (they're for it).
The newspaper opines that perhaps these new rewards programs aren't "so crazy after all." Reasons why they like it: it's not publicly funded; it puts lower-income students on par with their peers whose parents already pay them for grades; and it sends students the message that the "outside world" cares about their performance. The paper also admits, "Yes, it's sad that education has come to this. But with the right controls and safeguards, paying for grades, crazy as it may seem, is an idea that's worth trying."
On the other hand, is Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, who disagrees, saying, that children want recognition. "But the chance for recognition undermines the fun, so that later, in the absence of a chance to earn another award, the children are no longer interested." Schwartz acknowledges that the "intrinsic rewards of learning aren't working for many children," but he warns that learning for rewards' sake isn't necessarily the way to go. "But it's plausible that when students get paid to go to class and do well on tests, they will be even less interested in the work than they would be if no incentives were present. If that happens, the incentives may make the learning problem worse in the long run, even if it improves achievement in the short run."
BoardBuzz still wonders, as we did in a previous post, if the students receiving these awards will receive any kind of financial education about the responsiblities of having and managing money. Tell us what you think and leave a comment.
Posted August 17, 2007 2:15 PM | Students
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Comments(1)
Posted by: Anne Lace on August 17, 2007 3:25 PM
I would much rather see the country get really smart about these financial incentives. It would be far wiser to place this money earned in a 'special account' to be used once the student leaves the school system earning one of the four possible diploma types. This money could go to vocational programs, tech-ed program, secondary programs, etc. Schools could also have it set-up that if money is needed for the next year's school supplies then a family would fill-out a purchase order during the summer with the school and the supplies would be waiting for them when school starts. Schools would subtract money spent.
I disagree with Boardbuzz that it would put students on par who are getting paid for grades. I work in a wealthy district and I find more and more families not paying money for grades. Rather, I see families offering incentives like taking the student out for a Congrats Dinner of their choice. While many families are feeling the pinched with rising fuel, energy, food, costs, the so-called luxury pay-outs are being seen less by students, even those from upper-middle class homes.
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