Although 6,000 New York City students can now bring home some extra cash along with their report cards, most Upper West Side schools are rejecting the idea that money is the best way to improve classroom performance.
Open to every city public school serving fourth or seventh grade students, the two-year pilot program launched by the New York City Department of Education—known as Spark—rewards test scores with up to hundreds of dollars. The department received applications from 143 schools for its September 2007 opening before narrowing down the list to the 58 participating this year, most of which are considered high-needs.
But many of those active in local schools are scornful.
“To pay them [students] for getting good grades is outrageous,” said Julia Heath-Gil, P.S. 163 PTA co-president. She described a bulletin board with photos of students with perfect attendance as an alternative form of positive reinforcement.
“We have small things, like pizza parties, for those children who score level three or four on the test, but nothing like cash incentives,” said Robin Jackson, who is in charge of testing at P.S. 161.
Spark organizers, for their part, have been encouraged by reports of excitement that the promise of concrete benefits has inspired in some grade-schoolers. Students, whose parents must sign consent forms before they can participate in Spark, have expressed plans to use the money for everything from toys and snacks to college savings.
Fourth-graders can receive five dollars just for attending and completing the diagnostic tests, 10 of which are completed each school year. Then, they can earn up to $20 more based on their score—theoretically up to $250 each year. Seventh-graders can earn double these amounts. The money can be directly deposited into WaMu bank accounts, which the NYC DOE says are meant to encourage students to think about saving and financial literacy, according to the DOE. WaMu will also cash checks free of charge for students who prefer to have their money in hand.
Opponents suggest that the program put students’ attention in the wrong place.
“There is a reward system for learning. I think that it is the ability to learn and have knowledge that will help them later in life,” Heath-Gil said. “The kids thrive on recognition and applause and positive encouragement.”
At P.S. 172, Marla Picou explained a different system to motivate students at school. As part of a character-building project, the students are awarded “bricks” by their teachers, which can be exchanged for prizes in the school store.
“They can get board games, basketballs, footballs, all kinds of things,” Picou explained, “depending on how many bricks they’ve got.”
Defending Spark, NYC DOE spokesperson Debra Wexler explained that using money rather than other forms of incentives is more manageable and more practical for the department to assess the impact of the program. What’s more, students are free to choose how they wish to spend their reward.
“Not every kid likes pizza, and maybe that’s not what’s going to inspire them,” she said. “This kind of program is more flexible and allows students to set their own priorities.”
alicia.outing@columbiaspectator.com