I read an article about several schools in our country that have implemented pay-for-performance initiatives. Basically, they are offering cash incentives for higher scores on AP and standardized tests. The article tells of test scores increasing, especially among lower class and low income students, but what is the true cost of these incentives?
We all know that money makes our world go round, and that in order to get ahead, education is a must. Combining these two ideas, at first, seems genius. If I was in high school again and could get some cash just for getting a good score on a test, I might consider trying a little harder in that class. But my focus in my other classes would remain unchanged, or even decrease. Furthermore, when do these incentives stop, or become not enough. When are students going to want more money for their scores, and what will they do when they graduate and go off to college and have to get good scores without monetary incentives? Will they even want to learn?
The bottom line is that these schools are literally bribing their students into learning. Cash incentives may produce higher test score, but they are simply masking underlying problems, such as incompetent teachers and overcrowded classrooms. Students are in school to learn, so they can gain a good education, go to college, and get a good job and make money. It's almost as if these schools are trying to change education into a job in which students are rewarded for what they should be doing anyways - learning.
ARTICLE LINK: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121928822683759447.html
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3 comments:
It is ridiculous. No body should be getting paid for good scores. i agree with Cory. It seems nice at first but it wont belong before people want more money. Money has been a great contributor to people losing a sense of what is important in this life. Bringing money incentive in to school well help students lose a sense of what is important in school: learning, growing as a person.
(Sorry about last comment - it was cut off!)
c shoe,
You said it best; "Money has been a great contributor to people losing a sense of what is important in this life." I couldn't agree more. What happened to doing well and being self-motivated? Does this school have no other way to motivate the kids? And, what does that say about the mindset of the board of directors, regardless of the socio-economic status?
It also spikes competition among students, which planes out into one equation. Better grades = more money. For someone like myself, this situation would have caused me great discouragement to find some of my peers getting money because they have the ability to do so, and me getting nothing for being inadequate. Not everyone can learn at the same pace, or do well enough to receive "the prize".
Though doing well in High School can influence your eligibility for scholarships, grants, and other free money for college, I see nothing wrong with this because college is in fact optional and you, the student, are responsible for paying the expenses to attend. Being in Middle/High School, these expectations of getting money for simply getting good scores is completely absurd in my opinion.
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