Comments on: Cash for Grades: Are you buying it?

By: Concerned Parent

Concerned Parent — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:28:50 +0000

If it takes a little $ to make kids want to do well in school, then I say go for it. Most children dont try to reach their full potential because they are too busy with other issues going on in their lives at this point, social lives. sports,etc. Everything else is usually more important to kids than school.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:22:12 +0000

Why should a school reward the performance of students with cash? Doesn’t it make more sense to provide incentives to teachers for improved teaching, using the same cash fund that would be paid to students? It seems that our priorities and solutions are skewed. These school systems are dangling the carrot in front of the rider, not the mule.

By: Former High School Teacher

Former High School Teacher — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:01:14 +0000

I do not agree that children should be rewarded with cash and/or gifts. I believe the satisfaction of knowing they have done a good job and thus will be eligible for college and perhaps a better future should be reward enough.

School systems are designed to encourage the best students and work with the bottom level. Those in the middle are the annoymous group. Teachers and administrators are well aware of the very top students as well as those who are in trouble all the time. The middle group would be the ones that would not benefit from such a program. In many cases they struggle just to maintain C’s. So what would their incentive be – they most likely will not be able to achieve high grades or even improve significantly.

By: A Concerned Parent

A Concerned Parent — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:43:12 +0000

I do not agree that children need to be paid to get improved grades, passing grades, or improved test scores. The goal of education is to teach that by learning you can improve your life and earn the rewards through better jobs and income. When I read the articles, I believe they justified that lower income children can earn something and that is the reason they do better. As the Grade 10 parent said – many of these kids already need the time after school to help earn income for their whole family and the money that is earned in this manner will not offset the income they earn through real part time jobs.
If educators want to help students to excel, then lets put the money to work for the kids that really inspire the students by putting the money into a trust fund to pay for college so they can continue their learning experience. It could be a matching fund with public money and private money that only can be used to go to college (community or vocational/technical). In this way the child knows that he will have the ability to keep learning. Also, if their grades improve, set up a job bank so children will know there are part time jobs where they can earn some money while going to school. Maybe in this way they will see that education does pay off.
Just my thoughts but I do not agree that money paid directly to children for improved grades is good.

By: Grade 10 parent

Grade 10 parent — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:17:47 +0000

Many situations exist where students have to make a choice whether or not to work after school (to contribute to the family’s income) or spend time and extra-effort on homework. Students have always been taught the lesson that good effort equals good grades which equals better opportunities for college and career choice.

While this program may not always be enough to pay for a month’s worth of groceries, or finance a college education, it reenforces the commonly taught lesson that hard work pays off.