Getting paid for the grade

This op-ed in the New York Times questions the value of the New York City Department of Education's recent decision to award student academic performance and attendance records with cash rewards. That's right. These students don't have jobs, they just go to school. A good grade? A perfect attendance record? Bring on the money.

The main question here is whether these financial bonuses will actually increase student performance overall, which is what Ronald G. Fryer, the economist behind the whole project, seems to think. Student motivation will now be driven by external rewards, not a thirst for knowledge or excellence. Can we keep kids intrinsically engaged while supplying them with money for their academic performance? What will win, the cash or the simple psychological drive to know more? And will we be able to tell the difference? When you alter the incentive, you're changing the whole game, and the fun in learning might disappear when you equate an "A" in biology or art class with dollar signs in kids' eyes.