This weekend's Washington Post offered an anecdotal look at DC's Capital Gains Program, aka Washington's own pay kids for performance system. The program has its logistical issues, but one of great significance has cropped up: theft. Apparently some students at one DC middle school have made a habit of stealing checks from backpacks and lockers. Capital Gains partners with SunTrust Bank, which puts on money management classes for students. But where's the accompanying ethics curriculum? The pay for performance experiment intends to teach students the value of working hard. But do these programs do enough to close the door on the other options, like, say, stealing from someone who worked just a bit harder? Students might not be gaining an appreciation of learning for learning's sake, but they could be learning larger life lessons about good citizenship. I suspect that KIPP schools that employ a reward structure don't have issues with theft. After all, the schools promote a general honor code and high standard of good behavior. KIPP strives to produce students who are both good learners and productive members of society. Public schools are often a far cry from KIPP, but if they're already paying students to learn, why not turn check distribution into a teachable moment about ethics?
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