Should Students Get Paid For Good Grades

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The two articles I chose argued whether or not students should be paid for getting good grades. There were a ton of arguments about whether it really motivated students in the right way. They both brought up the point that scores were better after being motivated, but they both had different opinions on whether or not it was good. The first article I read, argued the fact that, no, students should not be paid for getting good grades. This article claimed “The only motivation most students get from rewards is the motivation to get rewards.” What they mean by that, is the students will not have motivation to succeed or to do good, but the motivation to get rewards. So the students only focus on the reward, whatever it might be. Another …show more content…

Scientists say that students will only learn until they get their reward, then they stop. It also discourages students who may not do the best in school. When they don’t get a good grade, it makes them feel bad about themselves. In many of these articles, I’ve also found debate with whether students should just be paid for good test scores or if students would be paid for simply good grades. Test scores would defiantly cost schools less money, but that provides the issue that students would just slack off throughout the year and not strive for good grades, and then study hard and work hard just during test time. But if they were paid for good grades, maybe at the end of a quarter or semester, it would cost the schools more money, but provide students with more motivation. I read another article that said that paying students teach them the wrong lesson, which was that really everything is about money and that is “A harsh reality they aren’t ready for.” In my personal opinion I have to disagree with this article. I do understand that adults do not want the students to get the idea that money is everything. But really, students and children will have to face that hard reality eventually, so why not teach them and give them a taste of what it’s like before throwing them out into the real world where money really is everything, and they had no …show more content…

Schools in New York City have started a thing called “New York City’s Spark program” Which gives fourth and seventh graders money for good grades on a series of math and reading tests they take throughout the year. Fourth graders earn up to $250 a year and seventh graders can earn up to $500 a year. In Washington DC they’ve started the “Washington DC’s Capital Gains program.” This gives middle school students money for five different things: Attendance, Behavior, and three academic measures, which are decided by the particular school. The Paper Project in Chicago, tries to get ninth and tenth graders to get better grades, and every six weeks students who have succeeded receive half of their money in a check or bank deposit, and get the other half when they graduate. There are a few examples here, but there are many more schools throughout the states that actually participate in this. Another way some schools are looking at this is giving money for good grades to students who live in poor neighborhoods. Students who live in those poor areas usually get the worst grades and drop out of school. The article pretty much describes the fact that the poorer students will stay in school and want to succeed more, if they can benefit from it and maybe help their home lives a little more, they will actually make an attempt, or more of an attempt, to

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