Washington schools joined a growing number of districts nationwide Thursday to flash cash before lackluster students, but most programs are too young to reveal whether the incentives result in higher achievement or duped administrators.
A program set to begin this fall in 14 southern Virginia high schools, along with five other states, is modeled on a 12-year-old Texas program that pays high-scoring students in poor and minority schools up to $500 for taking an Advanced Placement course and passing a final exam. Success on the AP test can be used at universities for advance credits.
The first study of the Texas program, and one of the only studies completed on cash-incentive programs, was released Thursday by Kirabo Jackson, a Cornell University professor of labor economics.
The incentive program inspired more high school students to take AP classes, Jackson said, and over time, the participating schools saw significantly higher scores on college entrance exams and the number of students who went on to college.
“But I would be cautious in extrapolating the results,” Jackson said, because D.C.’s initiative targets middle schoolers instead of high schoolers and relies on different criteria, such as attendance and classroom behavior.
As the schools implement their programs, Jackson said, it’s important “to provide rewards for things that are not easily gained. … You want to make sure you’re providing for stuff that proves true learning, not just tactics or tricks or exam skills.”
The New York City program that inspired D.C.’s new initiative is barely one year old. A study of its success is due in October.
A study of elementary students in rural Cochocton County, Ohio, showed they increased their math scores with the help of $20 incentives, but did not improve scores for reading, science or social studies, Stanford University professor Eric Bettinger told The Wall Street Journal.
“Generally, this could be good or bad — it depends on the student,” said Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, voicing support for a parent’s right to choose whether his or her child participates.
