Cash For Grades Is Useless
All across the country, there is a “cash for grades” program going around, in an attempt to try to boost student achievement. The majority of these programs are taking place in high schools and are essentially paying scholars “for doing what we want students to do: achieve good grades, get high test scores, attend classes, stay out of fights, and the like (Peterson). “Bribing” adolescents to achieve a better reputation for one’s school (test scores) is not as straightforward as it sounds. The “desire to learn” is still a dilemma among students and getting one’s wallet fatter will not solve this complication. Students should not be paid for earning quality grades because getting an education is not a job, rewards should only be followed by true achievements, and these programs do not encourage students to challenge themselves.
To a great degree, students should not be paid for earning quality grades because getting a FREE education is not a job! Most parents’ argument most likely sound like this: “My kid’s job is school. So why shouldn’t I pay her for good grades? After all, I get paid for the work I do.” As this brainless statement may seem true, do adults get paid to sit on their butts all day? The answer to that question is no. Saying this unreasonable argument is the equivalent to saying
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Getting an A in a difficult class should and is a better amount of fulfillment than getting a hundred dollars or whatever the case may be. Research found on students “show that they all perform better and work harder when the task is interesting, fun to do, and relevant to their lives” (Flannery). Well, that seems quite rational! Also, money in a poor household could cause HUGE conflicts. Parents “rip teachers” when their kid gets a C according to Mary Ellen Flannery’s “Cash For Grades?” Thus, “the bigger the reward, the bigger the damage done”
In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel makes it clear that he is disappointed and frustrated with what grades have become. He believes that grades have become commoditized and that students’ grades suffer because of their relation with money. Vogel also believes that students no longer take any risk with their education. I agree with Vogel that grades are being equated to money by students, that students’ work suffers because of grades, and that students no longer take risks in their educational process.
The practice of offering incentives for charitable acts is very common because it is an effective way to get people to donate time and/or money. Although I grant that the idea that incentives are morally wrong because people are acting out of self interest rather than out of wanting to do the right thing, I still maintain my view that self interest is a natural part of being a human and it is inevitable that we will take into consideration how things will benefit ourselves as well as others. The exchange of donations for grades or any other kind of reward is what I may argue ethically and morally correct because humans are not only motivated to do good, but we are also acting in good faith by taking the incentives because normally they are minimal in comparison to the donation they are making so the result is still greatly an act of kindness.
“Beginning in 2007, his [Roland Fryer Jr.] project paid out $6.3 million to students in 261 urban schools...from low-income families” (Sandel 52). As a result, paying students for good grades has an impact on many people, not only students but teachers as well. Students should be paid for good grades because they will be able to save the money they earn for the future, it will motivate them to do well in school, and it will increase their scores on AP exams. With the money that students earn for their good grades, they can save it for their future. According to student Brett Upperman, “‘Kids need money so we can save it for college.
Can you imagine having a job for nine months out of the year that makes you work from 8:15 AM until 3:30 PM on every weekday and not getting paid for all of your hard, tedious work? To most of you that sounds ridiculous. That’s because it is. Students have to go through this painful process from September to May and usually don’t have anything to show for it. They dedicate their whole lives to getting all A’s on their report card and when they finally do all they usually get is a pat on the back. Thus, students should get paid for having good grades because it takes lots of hard work to get those grades, it would cause more students to strive for good grades, and it would eliminate the need for a job, which would allow for more studying time.
Students and education have a direct connection; if students are failing, then the educational system is going to decline. In order for the education system to prosper, the nation has to consider the needs of the students. This country consists of students that have a bright future ahead of them, but the only downfall is trying to get the students to their future. The Cash for Grades Program solves this issue by rewarding students for their grades, so that they will work very hard to be successful and fulfill their bright future. If America is the fastest growing economy in the world, then why is the education rank so low? America’s strengths should reflect the education that is offered, because this is the key factor that is associated with a top notch country. A country with prospering education has bright students that can lead the country to a better place.
First off, students should be paid for having good grades because it encourages them to work harder. They would learn that goals can be achieved with hard work, and hard work has rewards in the end. Many studies have proven that people work harder when they are getting something out of it. For instance, if students were to receive the new iphone 6 plus when they receive an A on their next test, they would try harder and
When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well and grade inflation encourages this thought.
Why should you pay students to study? One of the reasons is the achievement gap. The achievement gap is the difference in academic performance between specific groups of students. The difference can be shown through test scores, grades, and dropout rates just to name a few. In the article, “Achievement Gap” by Susan Ansell, the National Center for Education Statistics’ special analyses in 2009 and 2011 stated that “black and Hispanic students trailed their white peers by an average of more than 20 test-score points on the NAEP math and reading assessments at 4th and 8th grades, a difference of about two grade levels” (pg.2).
To begin, with, school should not pay students for good grades because they are constrained to earn good grades. Evidence from the NEA article claims, “Many teachers also say paying students for grades leads to practical problems in their classroom, including pressure to inflate grades.” This leads to kids trying to get good grades, which can cause stress because if they have one dreadful grade, they will worry a lot about not getting as much money. The effect of this is students will be distressed about grades that they won’t have any fun and won’t rest their brains. Clearly, students are pressured to earn good grades if they are getting
After four long, strenuous years of hours upon hours of homework, late night studying, and emotional breakdowns, it all leads up to one thing: college. High schoolers spend their teen years working towards “perfect” GPA and build up their extracurriculars to create an impeccable application. So why, after devoting all those months of hard work, would students have to put even more into the journey to college? Have they not proven enough?
In recent years, much more attention has been paid to the college education. An Increasing number of people hold the opinion that college should give practical training that is beneficial for students ‘career instead of providing “generalist” education, such as science, literature, history, philosophy, art. From my point of view, broad range of knowledge courses is necessary and no one can deny the benefit of those courses.
“Go to school and get good grades, so you can get into good colleges. Also make sure you are studying hard for standardized tests, all meanwhile being actively involved in your school and community, so you can get scholarships to pay for college”. This phrase may be one you have heard more than once in your life—which if not for you, then for many others, put a sense of determination to get good grades, and do well in school. It all seems like a straight path to success, until you are at the crossroads that is college. Suddenly, you are bombarded with the problem of paying for college.
College students deserve to be making money for playing sports. However, people think that they already get rewarded with education, but that is not enough. They deserve to be rewarded, because these students put a lot of their time and hard work into these sports. The schools and sports organizations should not be making a profit, while getting their services free of charge.
Students should be paid for having good grades. According to Psychology Today, the United States has fallen behind other nations in education. In addition to this, approximately one in four students in the U.S. drops out of school before graduation. The main reason for this is that students have little to no motivation. Students are either bored with school, or they are distracted by the other things that go on in their lives such as sports, jobs, friends and their own family life.
School can be frustrating for students. Going to school, doing homework, and then repeating it all over again the next day can become quite tedious. Especially when one feels as if they are not gaining anything from doing well in school, it causes students to have very little motivation to complete their schoolwork. Students might be motivated if there was some sort of incentive for attending school and doing well at it. A law should be passed that requires students to be paid for doing well in school because it gives them motivation, helps them with financial issues, and allows them to learn how to manage money more effectively.