Paying for grades

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Shopping list:

    • Bread

    • Milk

    • “A” in English?

A pilot program in 20 Chicago public high schools to pay students for good grades probably won’t be coming to Bureau County any time soon.

The program works by giving students $50 for each A, $35 for each B and $20 for each C in English, math, science, social science and physical education at the end of each five-week reporting period. The students receive half of their earnings immediately, and the other half after they graduate.

Chicago Schools Chief Executive Arne Duncan said the program is not bribery but an incentive, intended to discourage failure and to encourage kids to graduate.

The program is aimed at freshmen because research shows a correlation between how well students do in 9th grade to overall high school success.

“I see the freshman year as a life-changing experience; I want to keep those kids in school and reward them for doing the right thing,” Duncan told reporters. “We can’t do enough to put the spotlight on students who work very hard and overcome tough odds.”

Closer to home, many area principals don’t think too much of the idea.

Princeton High School Principal Barb Schmidt said the school tries to teach students the value of learning for its own sake.

“While it’s important to motivate students to learn, having the school paying the students takes away the intrinsic value of being a life-long learner,” she said.

Hall High School Principal Patti Lunn also does not support the idea of paying students for grades.

Lunn said the school does offer some incentives for students to do their best on the PSAE test taken by juniors every spring, and she compared that to industry, where workers get bonuses for doing extra special work.

But for doing regular class work?

“I would hope students would have the need to get good grades on their own,” she said. “Whether students should be paid to earn credits for graduation, I’m not quite there.”

Bureau Valley High School Principal Mike Patterson agreed.

“I believe that the value of working hard in high school should be rewarded by walking across the stage and receiving a diploma,” he said.

Patterson said it is “staggering” how much more a person with a high school diploma earns during a lifetime as compared to a person who doesn’t graduate.

However, Patterson didn’t criticize Chicago for its effort.

“Chicago schools have more challenges than we do, and if they feel they have to try this, well, good for them,” Patterson said. “Here, we want to motivate students for their own personal success.”