Jun 08 2009
New York Paying Children for Good Grades
I read an article in the New York Post today about the policy of some primary schools paying students for getting good grades. This is clearly controversial and there are arguments on both sides of this method of reward.
The payoff is based on the performance of 10 different assessments and 4th graders are only getting up to $250. I say “only” compared to the $500 seventh graders have the potential to receive.
The positive side of this is that standardized state testing scores have drastically improved (40%) and students are more motivated to get better grades. I would be motivated too if the opportunity presented itself at age 12 to earn $500!
Students who have been exposed to a good financial education at home and understand the value of a dollar will fare well and probably use the money wisely or invest. However, many students do not know the value of money at such a young age and will likely blow it on video games and candy bars. It is their hard earned money after all. Don’t they deserve some extra cash for the extra effort they put in?
On the other side of this issue are those concerned about teaching good values. So, is this a good way to instill the value of education? By “value” I mean the intrinsic value, not monetary value. Are these students really motivated by the desire to succeed and the understanding that education is a valuable tool to possess in the tool belt of life? Or by the almighty dollar?
That is open for debate. Is this the right way to raise scores? Has it come down to children actually getting paid if they do well in school? College students do not even get that opportunity unless they succumb themselves to some psychological lab experiment.
What happens when the non-salary students find out their friends are getting paid to succeed in school? How do you maintain motivation for that unpaid child? This may start a trend we do not necessarily want to adapt for it could set a precedence and send education down a path that we may not be able to turn back from. Or is it a path that leads to future success for these children in New York? Lots of questions to be answered…
