Spunky Homeschool

Perfect Attendance

Feb. 6, 2006 at 9:00 AM

During my K-12 school years, I missed less than 10 days of school. Most of the days missed came in elementary school. I had eye surgery when I was in 3rd grade. My mom scheduled it over Easter break so I wouldn't miss any more than necessary. I didn't miss any during high school.

Too bad that was over 25 years ago. All I got for my effort was a mediocre education and a certificate. If I went to high school in some areas today I would have been nearly $400 richer by the end of twelfth grade. That's because they are now paying $25 a quarter for perfect attendance. It's not the parents paying to learn by the way. It's the school paying to keep the children in school. Here's how one principal in Chelsea, MA looked at this,
"I was at first taken a little aback by the idea: we're going to pay kids to come to school?" said the principal, Morton Orlov II. "But then I thought perfect attendance is not such a bad behavior to reward. We are sort of putting our money where our mouth is."
Excuse me, Mr. Principal, it's not your money you're spending. If you want to put your money where your mouth is then open up your wallet not mine. This "pay to learn" policy is becoming more common all around the country.

Across the country, schools have begun to offer cars, iPods - even a month's rent. Some of the prizes are paid for by local businesses or donors; others come out of school budgets. At Oldham County High School in Buckner, Ky., Krystal Brooks, 19, won a canary yellow Ford Mustang. In Temecula, Calif., the school district prizes can include iPods, DVD players and a trip to Disneyland.
Some incentives appear to reward the parents not the children for good attendance. In Chicago, some of the schools are helping to pay the mortgage or buy groceries. The district has an incentive, they receive $18 million more in state money for every 1 percent increase in attendance.

It's bad enough that we have compulsory attenance laws, now we have to pay a bribe keep the children inside the building. One administrator quoted in the article said,
"Some people could look at it like we're trying to bribe the kids to come to school," he said, "but if it takes that to instill a lifelong value in them, then it's worth it."
And just what is that value that is so important that you have to pay them to learn it? How valuable can it really be? Ask yourself, if we haven't taught a child by high school the value of learning how well have the schools done in truly educating our nation's children?

And the most ridiculous comment on the subject has to be from David W. Kirkpatrick, a Senior Education Fellow at the U.S. Freedom Foundation (via EducationNews.Org). In response to the notion that this is nothing but a bribe, he said,
[H]ow many adults work for someone for nothing because working is something they need to do anyway. Do they consider their paycheck to be nothing but a bribe, or is it regarded as pay for performance?
Since when did our children become employees of the state needing to be compensated for performance? Sigh. (And people send ME emails saying I just don't get it!) Maybe we would should take this a step further and encourage the students to unionize. After all most are "working" for well below the minimum wage!

(HT: Patricia Hunter)
 
Related Tags: , , ,
 

3 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by gottsegnet on Feb. 6, 2006 at 12:24 PM

Too bad you aren't a high school student in Florida. In several districts, you get entered in a drawing for a new car from a local dealership for meeting attendance goals. In one school I was in for some speech meet in high school, they had a program for "Straight A's." The A's were Attendance, Attitude and Achievement. Through partnerships with community businesses, EVERY student who met the goals received a car.

Interviews with chronically absent students reported in the NWREL survey of literature revealed perceptions that interfered with school attendance and encouraged them to stay away:
1. Viewed classes as boring, irrelevant, and a waste of time
2. Did not have positive relationships with teachers
3. Did not have positive relationships with other students
4. Was suspended too often
5. Did not feel safe at school
6. Could not keep up with schoolwork or was failing (and there were no timely interventions)
7. Found classes not challenging enough (worksheets and reading with lectures were the
predominant activities), and students can miss class days and still receive credit
8. Couldn't work and go to school at the same time

Sounds like homeschool is a good solution to most of the core problems of truancy!

posted by sagerats on Feb. 6, 2006 at 1:10 PM

A worker is payed for the service provided to a company or individual/s. What service is the student providing the school district?

There is already an incentive in place, it's called an A and the knowledge of knowing that you did your best. I was very pleased when I received good grades, and a part of doing that is being in school.

It's fascinating that children come from poor countries, study very hard to make something of themselves AND to help their families in the future. In part it is an unselfish act. The spoiled brat, cry babies of the U.S. have to be bribed into doing something only for themselves.

Abiding in the Vine!

posted by Melkhi on Feb. 6, 2006 at 3:02 PM

that my tax dollars may be going to reward kids for doing what they are supposed to be doing. And winning a car for a reward?! Getting a car, in my observation, is a number one reason for a decline in school performance. My husband and I have agreed that our kids will NOT own a car in high school, because when we were in high school, we witnessed too many of our peers using a car to waste time and money.

Post a comment!