Over the past decade or so many cash for grades programs are popping up all over the United States. Despite the title, these programs are not ways for students to pay other people to do their school work for them. Instead the programs are incentive ways to increase A+ work in students by motivating them with the promise of a reward. Cash for grades programs can help students develop proper school etiquette such as: attending all classes, exhibiting good behavior, completing all assignments, and studying for tests and actually doing well on them. Even though the programs seem to produce model A students once they graduate, cash for grades programs can have negative impacts on students during their high school careers and even after graduation. …show more content…
What were their reasons behind this sudden interest in accelerated learning? Was it the money? These are all questions that should strike the mind of those who are considering beginning a cash for grades program. Higher educators must think about what type of school they want to be a part of. Cash for grades programs show that “too much emphasis is put on efficiency and not enough on the quality of education” (“Cash for Grades” con). In the article, “Cash for Grades,” a study was done involving children; some children were told that they would receive a reward for drawing pictures and others would receive nothing. At the conclusion of the study, it was discovered that the children offered rewards “were less likely to draw than those who were not” (“Cash for Grades”). It was inferred that the pattern would resemble similarly in adults and “offering rewards actually discourages people from becoming passionate about the activities the pursue” (Cash for Grades”). Taking the information and applying it to students will produce a similar outcome. Paying students to do their homework and get good grades will cause them to enjoy these activities even less and will decrease their desire to participate in …show more content…
The programs can teach children to work hard for money or work hard for success. In Chicago, Roland Fryer developed a program that helped 3,750 high school freshman in 20 schools. The CEO, Arne Duncan, had a fear that there would be a high rate of students who would drop out in ninth or 10th grade. Fryer’s program stated that at the end of every 5 week grading period, students had the chance of earning $50 for every A, $35 for every B, and $20 for every C in English, math, science, social studies, and physical education. Duncan had found a way to “keep high school students in the classroom” while working to improve the curriculum that they learned (“Cash for
From the beginning of high school, students strap on their seatbelts and prepare for one of the most vigorous races of their lives – becoming successful. With the rare occurrence of a break, kids are expected to keep on driving as fast and as powerfully as they can in order to get into a “great” college, which would be followed by graduate school and then an actual job that would make a lot of money. In American society, common values include working hard, determination, and being so productive that free time is not even a question. However, this philosophy is taking a major toll on American college and high school students. For at least 40 years, America’s future has been steadily growing unmotivated, tired, and hopeless due to the overemphasis on performing well in school. This phenomenon is appropriately expounded in William Zinsser’s “College Pressures”, which takes a look at the top four sources of tension that cause these feelings of dejection and agitation. After reading this article, I came up with a few solutions to this national problem. It is time to switch the harsh, over-encouraging green light of education to a comfortable yellow one. In order to make this ideal transition, directors of education across the country need to primarily reduce the amount of out-of-class assignments, lighten the grading system, and incorporate days in the school year that allow students to express their thoughts about school and provide useful feedback.
The teachers use a currency in order to reward the children in a way of “cash” rewards. Nearly 100% of the students in the school are living in poverty at home, are African-American, and are without a preschool education. Older students have been required to fill out applications with references for classroom jobs, followed by attending an interview. Although many adults feel the children are just being trained as robots, principals have explained it is simply to teach students that they have an opportunity to succeed, regardless of their past. Children at these schools are constantly being “incentivized”, which is quite common in America, making this situation
In today’s society we feel the need to be graded in order to learn. The topic of the grading system has sparked three essays, by three different authors, about the pros and cons of the grading system. First, Jerry Farber, professor at University of California at San Diego, wrote A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System (333). Next is Steven Vogel, professor at Denison University, who wrote Grades and Money (337). The last two authors in this compilation are Stephen Goode and Timothy W. Maier. They both are journalists for Insight on the News. While each of these authors have their own point of view on the grading system, all three essays talk about how being graded affects learning.
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.
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.
Would you pay your child for getting good grades?, or would you like to get paid for your good grades? Parents have payed their children for their proficiency several times, and people are starting to realize what a magnificent idea this is. People believe that this can make kids try harder and it can help them gain more knowledge. Others think this could be an unsuitable theory because it makes kids only want to learn for the money. In my opinion, paying kids for good grades is an excellent suggestion.
Some people may say that students should get paid for good grades because there will be a rise in attendance. A source that supports this is Weston from Johns Hopkins University stating, “When attendance rises there is a direct effect on scores, and it is almost always good”. No doubt that this can be challenged because, what will happen once the schools stop paying the students? It just means that the students will lose motivation and continue to put off work until the very last minute. For the reasons above, students who get paid for grades won’t end up with good, lasting
However, such accusations such as laziness and entitlement, although common, have been prevalent amongst those of college age as proven in “A’s for Everyone.” Shepard had investigated the cause behind this and had put the blame on grade inflation in the years prior to entering college, the pressure to get superb grades due to high tuition costs, and most importantly the belief that “effort” constitutes a grade bonus. However, if one has entered the school system in America, one could see the relative ease in which one could improve their grades through inordinate amounts of extra credit. Multiple students have heard and even seen fellow students ask their parents to even come in for meetings of which equate to blaming their child’s poor grades on the teacher and harassing said teacher to allow their child, soon to be a hardworking, productive citizen of society, to get the “grade they
...hing more than bribery. She claims “...I am involved with these students daily… If [Giving students money] is what we need to do to motivate them to reach their goals…Which will ultimately lead to them having a better life.”(Cosey) If the students do end up reaching their goals, they will be getting cash incentives shortly after graduating, by getting a job. Paying students money will motivate them to try harder, and end up reaching their goals.
In order for this system to work the best students with A’s will need to receive sixty percent of the total money spent by students bad grades an...
According to Anne Stuhldreher, “Moya said she wasn’t a “studying kind of” person before the awards. Now she and her friends like to look in the dictionary and memorize words and their definitions, and they ask their teachers for more practice tests”(Stuhldreher). Although it might help some students, others prefer to live without it. Rewards are not convenient for all students, in Mary Ellen Flannery’s article, a Mashpee student claims, “I think I’d just try my best anyway...(The class) is kind of a challenge, but it’s a fun clas because (our teacher) makes it fun”(Flannery). Not all students require rewards to appreciate or understand the value of their education. This student chose to not recieve rewards in order to learn the significance of an education, unlike Moya, who needed money in order to be greatful for the free education she
Many of my peers have told me that their parents pay them a dollar for every A that they receive on their report card. That concept of paying students for high grades has spread across the nations. Schools now use cash to motivate students to do well in school. Though yes, this is effective, but is it right? Has this truly benefited the students as much as we think it does? The answer to both questions is no. It takes away a child’s natural desire to learn, it doesn’t work out in the long run, and it ruins teacher-student relationships. Paying students for high grades is a terrible idea because it takes away a child’s intrinsic motivation, creates conflict between students and teachers, and doesn’t work out in
As a study done in Dallas has shown when second-graders were given a two dollar money incentive for every thoroughly read book which required a test to be taken where the student scored at least eighty percent on a quiz regarding that book, the average money students
“Should students be paid for good grades?” This question gets obvious responses from the majority of students that you ask; yes. I would even be inclined to say yes; who wouldn’t want to get paid for that? It is our job, and most students would do well if they were paid. However, I feel that being paid for school would give us a false motivation, assuming that the parents would be the ones paying the students during high school only. In addition to a false motivation, I believe it would give us a sense of entitlement, like we are owed for doing the things we are supposed to do. Lastly, being paid for school would not be fair to certain people.
My parents and grandparents always give me 10 dollars for each A and 5 dollars for each B if I ever had gotten a C on my report card I wouldn’t get none of the money. Since having good grades is a great way to earn money also because you’ll have some money to save and keep in a safe place just in case you need to buy something important. Therefore, my grades are really good and i’m keeping them up to save for some things I want in the future , and I wouldn’t spend all of it because then I wouldn’t have enough money to have at