Persuasive Speech Essay free essay sample

â€Å"Kids who got paid all year under a very elegant scheme performed significantly better on their standardized reading tests at the end of the year. Statistically speaking, it was as if those kids had spent 3 extra months in school, compared to their peers, who did not get paid. † – Roland Fryer. Kids these days take school less and less seriously whether they’re lazy or bored in class; more students are failing or dropping out of high school. I propose that students get paid a set amount of money for every ‘A’ the student receives on his/her report card. By doing this we would: improve grades, reduce the number of dropouts, and teach them how to manage money, which all coincides with becoming an adult. We can improve the overall grades of students who are lazy or uninterested in doing work by incentivizing them with a set payment for each grade they get. Time magazine offered underprivileged college students to maintain at least a ‘C’ average and they would be paid $1000 per semester for a maximum of two terms. The students who were selected for this offer were 30% more likely to return the next year for college than the students who weren’t selected. In short, the students who were selected were more likely to come back to college the next year because they knew they would get paid. Roland Fryer also conducted a test in Dallas where he would pay students for each book they read, and the results were better than most of the other tests, where it increased test scores. While improving test scores is important, reducing the number of dropouts is also a crucial element in improving the school system. Reducing the number of high school dropouts has been a problem for many years and I believe that by incentivizing them with money, we can reduce their numbers. The annual number of high school dropouts in the US is about 3,030,000. That’s about 8,300 dropouts per day. That’s almost one percent of the US population. On average, a high school graduate will make $260,000 more than a high school dropout and graduates are eligible for 90% more jobs than a dropout would be. This, in turn leads to a better home, nicer cars, and a better way of life vs. what a dropouts prospects may be. Even so, all this money is useless if you don’t know how to properly manage it. Managing money would be an additional plus to getting paid for good grades because it would teach you the value of money and that you have to work for your money. Although, some people would argue that paying students for good grades doesn’t work or they can’t afford it or their child isn’t motivated by money. If that were the case, then all you have to do is find out what would motivate your child and offer that to them as a reward. A mother recently released her story about how she paid her child for every ‘A’ and ‘B’ they got but on ‘C’s and ‘D’s and ‘F’s they got nothing. She explained all the money they earned would go into their savings account until they were 16, and then they could spend it, save it, or invest it. At the age of 16, they were made to make a decision that adults would/should make. Their mom did this to teach them about the value and management of money. And so, even though money doesn’t motivate all students, the ones its does motivate improve themselves greatly after being paid. I believe that students should be paid for getting good grades because it would improve grades, reduce the number of dropouts, and teach them how to manage money. We recognize the many counts that money didn’t motivate students but evidence shows that the idea that we are introducing with money has increased the student’s grades and test scores in every test. I have researched this topic thoroughly and have quoted experts in this essay. After reading all this I hope you agree with me when I say that I hope they introduce a program that pays Students for getting good grades to help boost test scores and reduce the number of dropouts. According to Psychology Today, the United States has fallen behind other nations on key measures of education and approximately ? of student drop out before graduation Experts point to inadequate motivation as a key to the problem. Too many students are bored by school or distracted by unstable family life or any number of other diversions that face students today. Of course, learning has its own rewards, but some students respond best to CASH. If incentives for good grades can play a role in motivating learning, then wherever possible, these cash for grades programs should be put into effect. Another major reason to pay students for good grades is that these cash incentive programs have helped low-income students stay in school and get better grades. According to a study released by the social-policy research group MDRC, a non-partisan organization perhaps best known for evaluating welfare-to-work programs, cash incentive combined with counseling offered â€Å"real hope† to low-income and nontraditional students at two Louisiana community colleges. The program was simple: enroll in college at least half time, maintain at least a C average and earn $1000. 00 a semester for up to two terms. Participants were 30% more likely to register for a second semester than those students who were not enrolled in the program. And the students that were first offered the cash incentives were more likely than their peers to be enrolled in college a year after they had finished the two term program. Students offered the cash incentives in this program did not just enrolling more classes: they earned more credits and were more likely to attain a C average than nonparticipants. Although U. S. college enrollment has limbed, college completion rates have not. More case for grades incentive programs may help improve upon the number of college graduates among lower income students. There are critics in higher education that are concerned that cash incentives will encourage students to start taking easier courses to ensure they’ll do well enough to pocket the money. â€Å"Everyone knows what the gut classes are when you are in college†. Stated Kirabo Jackson, an assistant professor of labor economics at Cornell University who has studied cash incentives or high school students. â€Å"By rewarding people for a GPA, you are actually giving them an impetus to take an easier route through college†. Other critics note that students’ internal drive to learn may be sapped as they focus on getting an external reward. Paying for good grades is long a tactic of fed-up parents; the idea of paying for good grades has migrated from the family room to the classroom. In states ranging from Texas to Massachusetts, a growing number of students are pocketing cold cash for good grades or test scores. In Houston, Texas, a three month old, privately funded $1. 5 million program rewarded fifth-graders- and notably, their parents when they were able to master basic math standards. Each family stands to earn $1050. 00, not a small amount, especially in a community where 80% of the kids qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Meanwhile, down the interstate, more than 10,000 Dallas, Texas students have earned up to $400. 00 for taking and passing Advanced Placement tests in a newly expanded $1. 5 million program funded by a private foundation. Most Americans and many educators feel uncomfortable with the idea of paying cash for good grades. According to the most recent national Phi Delta Kappa poll, one out of four Americans say students should be paid for their grades. There’s something about the practice that just feels†¦. wrong. Isn’t there greater value in reading a good book than a certificate for a cheese pizza or a new video game? Isn’t education cheapened when its sum value is a remote chance at a prize? A large number of schools are participating in a pay-for-grades program have seen test scores in reading and math go up by almost 40%. The program, named â€Å"The Sparks Program† will pay seventh graders up to $500. 00 and fourth graders as much as $250. 00 for good performances on 10 assessment tests. About two thirds of the 59 schools in the program improved their scores by margins above the citywide average. In conclusion, clearly there are 3 sides to the argument, mine, yours and the melding of the two, with regard to paying students to get good grades. I feel strongly, that some sort of incentive, or â€Å"payment† should be given to students who are not motivated towards education. The â€Å"reward† does not have to be monetary in nature, but could be what drives the individual- the latest new clothes, a new scooter, bike, or car. A trip, a vacation, or for some, even food on the table. Whatever the incentive is, using it to motivate students in any educational situation, I believe is a good tool for success.