Cash for grades?
Posted
October 17, 2008 at
4:14 pm by
Jessica
Chicago’s mayor, Mayor Daley, has started doling out cash to students of poverty that make the grade. Chicago Public Schools, arguably one of the most dismal school districts in the country, is paying students up to $4,000 for straight A’s and $1600 for straight C’s.
The mayor argues that “rich”, “suburban” parents pay and reward their children for good grades, so why shouldn’t children of poverty be rewarded for good grades too? But, is it the general public’s responsibility to pay other people’s children for getting good grades and does money for grades really work? Is this going to turn the Chicago Public School achievement around?
Most importantly, do you pay your children for good grades and does it work?
Daley weighed in for the first time on the “Green for Grades” controversy, one day after the first $265,986 in cash rewards were distributed to 1,650 Chicago Public School students.
Critics contend that the bounties are tantamount to “bribery” and that long-term success depends on self-motivation and the love of learning.
Daley strongly disagreed.
Tags: bounties, cash for grades, Chicago Public Schools, CPS, green for grades, Mayor Daley, rewards for grades |
8 Responses to “Cash for grades?”
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1. Rita said:
October 17, 2008 @ 6:16 pm
How funny, lately, I’ve been going around saying a lot, “Well, some people call it bribery, but Skinner called it positive reinforcement, and that’s good enough for me!”
I think that giving kids money for good grades can work in a situation like that. It not only motivates the kid, but it also helps get the parents involved to help the kid succeed if there’s some cash at the end. It’s short-term rewards for a long-term success.
Should tax payers be responsible for footing the bill? I guess that’s up to the vote of the tax payers who would be paying for it. I would vote in favor of such a bill if it was my money involved, why not?
I don’t pay cash for good grades, but we do give materialistic rewards for good grades. A good report card (As and Bs) gets a treat worth about $15, straight As gets a treat about $30. Making the “B” honor roll at the end of the year gets a treat of about $25 and making “A” honor roll (which hasn’t happened here yet) would be worth about $50. Does it help to motivate them? I don’t know, I have “advantaged” children, so that’s really not the purpose of it. The purpose is to just reward their hard work. It’s a long time between 3′d grade and the working world, so they won’t otherwise SEE rewards for their efforts NOW for a very long time.
2. Stacey S_MOD said:
October 17, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
I may be ass backwards on this one…but I look at it as my sons “job” to be a student. I do not reward him for good grades with anything other than an adda boy. He has sense of pride for his accomplishments & he strives to do better when he feels like he’s slacking.
As long as he’s putting forth the effort & he is doing the absolute best he can then that’s good enough for me whatever the letter on the report card is. If he needs help in a certain subject…I do everything I can to make sure he gets it. Right now he stays after school every Tuesday to get tutoring in Chemistry. I think that rewarding a child or not for their grades should be up to the parents…not the state.
I’m also one of those icky parents who doesn’t believe in allowance either.
3. iowafan said:
October 17, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
There are stores that reward for grades here. Limited Too gives $5 in store credit for good grades and one of the malls gives coupons for free pretzel, free slush, etc for each A in core subjects…
4. Rita said:
October 18, 2008 @ 8:52 am
Just to point out–all of the jobs I’ve had, my salary raises were directly tied to my performance reviews. So, it’s really not all that wacky to think about giving a kid a reward for a job well done, since it is done regularly in other aspects of adult life.
Really, I think for a kid who is intrinsically motivated, adding that external reward doesn’t help, but it doesn’t hurt either in the early years. I think if a kid is struggling across the board, then some external rewards can help the kid to work harder and overcome obstacles. Adding that to tutoring and other help, as well, of course.
I also can’t see us continuing with the external motivation through high school. (My kids are in 8th grade, 4th grade and pre-school) I can see keeping up a big(ish) reward for making honor roll at the end of the year, but that would be more of a celebrating with the kid for a big achievement than a prize. In high school, the shift should be to make it entirely intrinsic and the kid should be working for his or her own life-goals at that time. Ideally.
5. Jessica said:
October 18, 2008 @ 9:20 am
A. I think it’s a redistribution of wealth
B. It gives more power to an inadequately run government bureaucracy in raising our children
C. It doesn’t address why the city of Chicago spends almost more than any other school district per student in the country, yet has one the worst performances in the country. If all their doing is rewarding students that probably would have received high marks regardless. I also wonder if Chicago’s magnet schools are exempt.
6. Rita said:
October 18, 2008 @ 11:57 am
All of the points you’ve made in your “C” category are valid. Those are good questions. A and B don’t bother me so much, but you have a lot in your C that is worth further investigation.
7. Ami said:
October 18, 2008 @ 5:44 pm
I think I’m more surprised by the amount of money ($1400? Is it too late for me to go back to high school?) than the concept. I had a lot of friends who got money for grades from their parents when I was in high school, and I always thought it was a little odd. What is going to motivate those kids when they get to college? I think kids should be learning because they’re motivated to better themselves, not for a cash windfall.
8. christine said:
November 6, 2008 @ 9:04 pm
Jessica…
Why would magnet schools be exempt? Magnet schools are chicago public schools. Many magnet “cluster” schools are poor-performing, high-poverty schools.