Why Do Students Get Paid For Grades

“A wise person should have money in their head, but not their heart.” These words by Jonathan Swift sum up just why being too quick to give our direct rewards for grades harms youth and their mentality, despite any short-term benefits. If parents and schools want motivated, positive students who succeed later in life, paying for grades is out of the question. The practice encourages students to have a poor mindset for education. Its benefits are limited to short-term study and memorization. And lastly, paying students could have severe effects on their intrinsic motivation, which is crucial for their future. With a negative impact on learning, mixed-at-best benefits, and a dangerous loss in self-motivation likely, paying for good grades is a short-term solution that sours in the long run.

First of all, students should not be paid for good grades as it often leads to a damaging school mindset, As a result of money being given out, schools are seen

This is supported with a test by a Cornell labor economist (C. Kirabo Jackson) that shows a “30% [increase] in SAT and ACT scores and an 8% rise in college-bound students when schools paid students.” However, this can easily be challenged as even if students study more for some tests, colleges take far more into account, and future courses essential to gain valuable life skills will not necessarily have direct cash rewards. The mindset of students becomes, however, “Why should I take classes for no cash in return?” leading to less knowledge gained and less interest in imperative courses. This is evident from studies by Edward Deci and others (as previously seen) that show how “[a child’s internal motivation to learn] is soon eclipsed by the promise of external rewards, and a child’s natural enthusiasm for learning may be dampened.” In brief, paying for good grades does nothing for the