Inform Article

Should Parents Pay Their Children For Getting Good Grades?

07.31.2012
Posted by Leon Fooksman of yourPBC.org

We all want our children to do well in school and grow into self-motivated adults.

The question is: how do we get them there?

Lately, some schools and families are experimenting with giving students a little incentive like $20 to encourage better performance in the classroom.

As you can image, kids love being rewarded with hard, cold cash for getting higher grades and test scores.

But for adults, the idea of "bribing" kids to work harder in school has its share of naysayers. Some teachers complain that we are rewarding youths for something they should be doing on their own volition, while some psychologists caution that money can make students perform worse by cheapening the act of learning.

Studies on this subject in cities like New York, Dallas and Chicago have shown mixed results. A lot of the outcomes depend on what the incentives are and how the rewards system is set up.

So, would you consider paying your child to get good grades? Or, are you already offering incentives - maybe not cash but perhaps a dinner at Chili's or a trip to Universal Studios?

Share your thoughts and experiences below. You can also post your ideas on Twitter using the hashtag #ParentalInvolvement and on our Facebook page.

Your input is very important. We'll be sharing your comments with policy makers who are interested in school reform issues.