Are Cash Incentives Really A Good Thing

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/nyregion/05incentive.html

Growing up and going to school there was no incentives. I didn’t get any money from my teachers for doing well, no gift certificates, no special prizes for receiving, or anything of that nature. School to me was simply something I enjoyed doing and had fun doing. Naturally I would think that having money incentives for kids doing well on standardized test is outrageous, but then again I don’t have kids nor do I live in New York City or any other big city. Children in bigger cities are more targeted and susceptible to doing something illegal to get money in there pocket. However, I can’t say the same for a small city like Norwich.
I think the idea of lucrative prizes for children in big cities going to school and doing well on test is a good idea. I feel as though kids will be more willing to learn if they know in the end they’re rewarded in something other than a “good job”, or a sticker on their test, or an A on their report card. As children we all love getting something in return for doing well. Kids in bigger cities will benefit from this simply because they will feel as though there’s a purpose to do well in school and on top of that with the education they get they will learn how to apply themselves in other things than doing illegal stuff.
In a small city like Norwich the process wouldn’t work as easily simply because the economy isn’t good enough to support every child that does well. I think in smaller cities a lot more on the parents keep there young children away from the illegal things.
The one bad thing about the process is that when would the school stop giving the incentives to the kids. At some point the child needs to learn that his or her incentives will come later in life with more education.