Seattle Times: Should Learning Be its Own Reward?

katonahmom
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 07:09:13 +0000

In Ohio, a study conducted by a Case Western Reserve University economics professor looks into the effect of “pay-for-performance”:

"Students in grades three to six in the Coshocton city schools earn $15 for every “proficient” score on state achievement exams and can collect $100 if they ace all their tests. The youngsters are paid in “Coshocton bucks,” a form of cash honored at the local Wal-Mart and pizza joint.

The experiment, which is being conducted by Case Western Reserve University economics professor Eric Bettinger, has thrust the 2,000-pupil district, about 75 miles east of Columbus, into the middle of a thorny question: Should children receive money for classroom success?

“In a perfect world, all kids would come to school ready to learn and would love to learn,” said schools Superintendent Wade Lucas. “In reality, that’s not always the case.”

That reality is what got Robert E. Simpson interested in the pay-for-performance concept four years ago…

The group agreed to a pilot study in which entire grades from the city’s four elementary schools would be randomly chosen each year in a lottery at the school board’s September meeting, a popular event with raucous performances by the high school band and cheerleaders.

“It is an incredible mobilization of everyone,” Bettinger said. “It was a grass-roots movement. Everyone in the community was behind it.”

The program is in its third and final year but could be continued if data show the incentives boosted student test scores. The final data will be compiled this summer.

“If the results are positive, I think we’ll see a favorable reaction from both parents and teachers,” Simpson said. “At that point, and if recommended by the local school administration, our foundation is prepared to fund a districtwide program. We are confident the incentives work, and our foundation is very pleased with the program so far.”

While the Coshocton experiment is rare, plying students with money and other incentives is not unheard of. In the late 1980s, the Cleveland schools operated a Scholarship-in-Escrow program that “paid” students $40 for an A, $20 for a B and $10 for a C. The money, which went to students in grades seven through 12, was held in an account and could be used for college tuition. The program was discontinued in the early 1990s.

The New York City schools in 2005 operated an incentive program similar to Coshocton’s, but it lacked the same political and grass-roots support and was soon eliminated.

In Israel, high school students have been paid to pass a college entrance exam. In Dallas, students were compensated for the number of books they read on their own. And in Canada, college students were given bonuses if they kept their grade-point averages at a certain level.

Parents, of course, have been rewarding academic performance for years, either with a crisp $20 bill, a special dinner or tickets to a ballgame. Athletes and scholars are given full-ride scholarships to college. And merit pay for teachers – linking compensation to students’ achievement – is one of the nation’s most-discussed initiatives."