Llen
01-23-2008, 09:09 AM
Received this via RSS feed today
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Two Schools Will Pay Students To Study
POSTED: 10:04 am EST January 23, 2008
UPDATED: 10:08 am EST January 23, 2008
ATLANTA -- Fulton County school officials will pay students to study after school in a new program designed to improve their classroom performance.
The program called "Learn & Earn" is being offered to 40 students from Creekside High and Bear Creek Middle schools in Fairburn. The program will give students $8 an hour to study after school.
The privately funded program also will offer cash bonuses to students who improve their in-school performance.
School officials say the goal is to determine whether paying students to study will improve their performance.
The 15-week trial program will be conducted with students in the eighth and 11th grades. Students were selected by school staff, based on attendance, grades, test scores and free or reduced-lunch status.
A community kickoff ceremony is planned for 3 p.m. Thursday in the media center at Creekside High School.
--WSBTV
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Now I'm all for educational programs but something about cash incentives strikes a nerve with my INTJ-being. Of course I realize that there are students who, after performing some type of crude cost-benefit analysis, decide that excelling in school is not worth their time. There are also students whose performance is constrained by personal or socio-economic conditions.
However, I highly doubt that providing a short-term incentive will do little to change the long-term goals of those who don't initially see the point in picking up a book. When I was in grade school, I studied because I wanted to learn; I wanted to learn not only out of sheer curiosity, but also because I knew people would eventually pay me for the application of said knowledge (i.e. a job). Knowledge can open doors to a much better life if the drive is there and the right opportunities are taken. But paying a person to pick up a book will not equate to that person learning anything or applying that knowledge to anything meaningful afterwards. The behavior which was induced (e.g. studying, paying attention in class) will stop as soon the short-term incentive dissappears. And since it's not feasible to pay every student for every hour they study after school, this program is impractical.
Besides, do you realize how many INTJs would be millionaires if we were paid $8.00 to read?! :annoyed:
*****
Two Schools Will Pay Students To Study
POSTED: 10:04 am EST January 23, 2008
UPDATED: 10:08 am EST January 23, 2008
ATLANTA -- Fulton County school officials will pay students to study after school in a new program designed to improve their classroom performance.
The program called "Learn & Earn" is being offered to 40 students from Creekside High and Bear Creek Middle schools in Fairburn. The program will give students $8 an hour to study after school.
The privately funded program also will offer cash bonuses to students who improve their in-school performance.
School officials say the goal is to determine whether paying students to study will improve their performance.
The 15-week trial program will be conducted with students in the eighth and 11th grades. Students were selected by school staff, based on attendance, grades, test scores and free or reduced-lunch status.
A community kickoff ceremony is planned for 3 p.m. Thursday in the media center at Creekside High School.
--WSBTV
****************************************
Now I'm all for educational programs but something about cash incentives strikes a nerve with my INTJ-being. Of course I realize that there are students who, after performing some type of crude cost-benefit analysis, decide that excelling in school is not worth their time. There are also students whose performance is constrained by personal or socio-economic conditions.
However, I highly doubt that providing a short-term incentive will do little to change the long-term goals of those who don't initially see the point in picking up a book. When I was in grade school, I studied because I wanted to learn; I wanted to learn not only out of sheer curiosity, but also because I knew people would eventually pay me for the application of said knowledge (i.e. a job). Knowledge can open doors to a much better life if the drive is there and the right opportunities are taken. But paying a person to pick up a book will not equate to that person learning anything or applying that knowledge to anything meaningful afterwards. The behavior which was induced (e.g. studying, paying attention in class) will stop as soon the short-term incentive dissappears. And since it's not feasible to pay every student for every hour they study after school, this program is impractical.
Besides, do you realize how many INTJs would be millionaires if we were paid $8.00 to read?! :annoyed: