Cash incentives for public school students: Is there really a benefit?

Across the country, more and more public school are turning to what is seemingly a last resort: paying students to perform academically. With dropout rates reaching absurdly alarming levels in many city schools, districts are literally shelling out cash to students who do well on standardized tests and maintain a certain GPA. Does it work? Well of course it does! I have a near-perfect GPA, but rest assured, I would go the extra mile to raise it if someone was paying me (but don't take my work for it, there are several studies that confirm it works if you care to look). So, that question answered, we can now focus on the more  pressing ones that should really determine whether this practice should be allowed to spread in America.

It works, fine, but is it worth the price? The price, in this case, would be the sense of entitlement that these programs create. Do we really want the nation's youth to feel that they should be paid for simply achieving average academic proficiency? What massage does this send? It sounds like one of desperation to me. This will not in any way help students to realize that it is in their own interests to study and do well in school, not the government's. Your average student, instead of being worried about what will happen to their future if they fail a class, will now only be concerned with the well-being of their monthly check.

What will this lead to? Logic tells us that if kids are paid to keep up with their studies, they should be paid to do other things, right? Is the dentist going to start paying them to brush their teeth? Or maybe the company that provides their dental insurance?  Perhaps the government will begin paying them to get a certain amount of exercise each day so that they won't become obese. There is no telling where it will end if this practice gains widespread popularity. 

What does this mean for the once-intrepid spirit of the country? At one time, this nation was home to people who knew that success takes hard work, and they reveled in this fact to achieve their ambitions. The problem today is essentially that students, especially those in poor, urban environments, have no motivation to learn. The route to self-betterment for the poor now seems to be selling drugs, not getting an education. I personally don't think throwing money at the problem is going to help, because it doesn't solve the problem. Instead of creating a desire to learn, it simply creates a desire for money. If a student has the will, they can get a quality education from any school in the country. Students in these situations tend to simply lack the will, and giving them money won't change that. 

When you add it all together, this practice of scholarly bribery is ridiculous. If a student wants to throw away the education that they are being given, so be it. I was never paid to do well in school, but then again I was. I was being paid with the knowledge offered by the school, and I would much rather have that than some pathetic desperation money.

***NOW VOTE IN THE POLE TO THE RIGHT***