Paying Students for Grades

I came across an interesting article in Newsweek the other day and was inclined to share what I read with as many people as possible. I think education is the key to everything in this world, if you are educated you have doors open to you that probably would not be if you were not. You are able to come to rational decisions and are more likely to land important jobs and more lucrative careers. Education is what we lacked to instill in Afghanistan after we aided their defense against the Soviet Union in the late 1970's and we are paying for that now.

This article however, focuses on the United States, since I'm a firm believer in fixing domestic problems before concentrating on international issues. The state of Texas has experimented in using a "reward" system for students K-12 in the hopes of enticing them to try harder in school. Obviously this is not a new practice in theory, I remember in elementary school, kids saying "Yes, I got a B! I just made $25!" I was one of the kids whose parents just expected me to get good grades and I'd be rewarded with leniency and responsibility, not money. However, the program Texas is trying will reward students for good grades up to $200.

Before you get all upset and start saying "Why can't this money go to something else?" or "Why does my hard earned money have to go to a student who should want to learn to better himself and not for money?" know that the money is coming in from private donors. You are not spending a dime, although I would consider it a worthwhile investment. Since it is a fairly new practice, there are no studies out that prove or disprove the effectiveness of this practice, however, based on recent classes that have been eligible for the cash prizes, graduation rates have risen, college enrollment has risen, and dropout rates have declined.

Now maybe these kids do not enjoy learning as much as those who go to school because they want to learn, but let's face it, the reason we are going to school is to get a well paying job. Everything is for money because everything costs money. I personally think the reward system should be implemented in as many states as possible, and I think the drab that is NCLB should be reconsidered and probably revoked.