Bribery for Class Attendance
They're paying kids to go to school again.
Seriously, this is pathetic. A Connecticut high school's Advance Placement (AP) classes are not attracting many students, so it's decided that the way to get kids to take these harder classes and pass the AP tests is to pay them for doing so. A $450,000 grant from the National Math and Science Initiative will be providing the cash for these kids.
How much are kids likely to really learn if they're only there for the money? The root of this problem is not being addressed: what happened to kids' inborn desire to learn? How can that desire be nurtured instead of snuffed out?
Not that I approve of bribery, but since NMSI is going to spend this money anyway, I think they should start a program that offers parents some "hard cold cash rewards" to start reading to their kids and taking them to libraries and museums instead of giving them DVDs and video games from the time they're tiny. Seems like that would be more productive than bribing the kids.
2 comments:
I like your idea. Many parents don't take their kids to museums enough because it's a hassle, or they don't know where the museums are, or they just don't have the money. As for the library - where I live library programs are well-attended - but there aren't enough, and not for the right ages!
I wouldn't support new taxpayer-funded initiatives for this, but as you say, if they are spending the $ anyway...
Marbel, you make a good point. The taxpayer should not be paying parents to do their jobs. But, since a private group is handing out the money anyway, why not put it to more effective use?
Thanks for stopping by :)
Post a Comment