Seattle Times: Should Learning Be its Own Reward?

stowmom
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 11:03:02 +0000

I found the article.

Paying For Good Grades
Jan 19 2007 8:17AM

Reported by Tanisha Mallett

Coshocton schools are giving some students money for their good grades.

When you get a good grade, what do you expect? If you’re in Debbie Brown’s 6th grade class, you can expect money.

Brown says, “I think we have to keep the kids motivated and they enjoy having rewards and incentives.”

Coshocton schools are in the third and final year of an experiment conducted by Case Western University in Cleveland and funded by an area businessman to see if using money as an incentive can improve grades on statewide exams.

The money the students get is not really cash, but something called Coshocton Bucks. If the students ace their exams they can get up to $100 that they can spend in over 150 businesses in Coshocton.

Final results aren’t due until the end of the year, but so far, the superintendent says math test grades are improving.

What happens when the money is gone?

Superintendent Wade Lucas says, “If we can get one child to take intrinsic motivation and turn them into extrinsic motivators, then we’ve been successful.”

Lucas says he can already see changes in the way students approach their school work and that will remain long after the money is gone.

Its something Debbie Brown says she sees as well.

Brown says, “No matter what we do in life, as long as we have the tools, we’re good to go. We can handle whatever comes our way.”