There’ll probably be more stories like this one: Chicago Public Schools is ending its version of Roland Fryer’s paying-students experiment. A number of cities, Chicago included, started pilot versions of programs that paid low-performing low-income students for good attendance, good behavior, and good grades. Now, Chicago’s Green for Grade$ has fallen victim to the budgetary axe for the 2009-10 school year. There were many reasons to be wary of a program that paid students to do things they should already be doing and it always remained unclear how long the philanthropic support for the program would last. Seems we have our answer. Can’t say we’re too sad to see this initiative go. Now the question is, will the students who used to participate in this program cut the mustard without the green compensation?
“Money No Longer a Motivator for CPS Students,” by Vee L. Harrison, Chicago Talks, October 16, 2009