As public school districts struggle to boost student achievement, an increasing number of districts are turning to incentives for students, such as paying them cash money, to improve their attendance, test scores and grades.

One of Georgia’s largest school districts, Fulton County Public Schools, is testing a program that will pay students to attend free after-school tutoring in math and science. New York City pays students to pass Advanced Placement exams and introduced a plan this summer to pay students up to $500 for good attendance and test scores.

       
The Baltimore city school district is the latest district to initiate its own version of a cash incentive program. The program will pay high school students who have previously failed state tests up to $110 per subject if they attend tutoring and improve their test scores. This program is estimated to cost the district around $1 million a year.

While most students will think that being paid for grades and test scores is a great idea, experts disagree over whether incentive programs really work as studies on the trend have yielded mixed results.

Robert Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, says that while incentive programs may show short-term progress in academic achievement, the long-term effects are far from positive.

“This is not a brand new idea,” Schaeffer says. “Research shows that [incentive programs] have the same effect on learning as steroids has on athletic performance. There is short-term improvement while risking long-term damage. Test scores may increase in the interim but over the long haul kids lose motivation. It’s a bad idea.”

Schaeffer adds that such incentive programs are actually a deterrent for students who are already performing at high levels in school.

“It sends the wrong message to students who are performing well,” he says. “They think it’s better to screw up in school because then you get bribed. It doesn’t create a hunger for education, but a hunger for more money. Kids develop the expectation of a financial payoff.”