Cash Rewards for Grades: Is this the right way to learn?

Students were asked whether Mayor Bloomberg and the Education Department’s recent program to give money to students who do well in school is a good idea or not. Here is what some of them had to say:

Yes
Most students hate learning because they have no motivation to learn. One solution is to pay the students who get 4’s (on their tests). The students who studied instead of goofing off should get paid for their hard work. This will motivate the other kids to work harder and get good jobs when they grow up. -Monika Hossain

I think that we don’t need to get paid but if we get good grades why not? I already do all my work, so if they pay me I’ll do it with more inspiration. Every once in a while you need to give us a reward. On the other hand, students will only study and learn because of the money… -Suzette Diaz

Students should get paid for test grades. They should get paid because students will become persuaded to study hard enough. They should also get paid, because if they study hard, they could buy supplies to work harder. – Sebastian Betancur

Yes, with a twist: A++ = Prizes
I do think that students should get paid for good grades. I think this because students might be motivated to stay in school if they are getting paid. There are some students who come from families that have financial problems. It would help these families if students were getting paid for doing the right thing. Students will study harder if they know that they are getting a reward. However, some students might be only motivated to get money and not learn, even if they do have financial problems. This might put people who have good grades in school in an awkward situation because their peers might ask them if they could copy their homework. Even though this might happen, I still think that students should get paid for doing well because in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons.
Instead of the government handing out money for good students, they should give students free textbooks, books, and school supplies at the end of the year. Since the prizes have to do with education, students might want to learn more. The parents of the students will also be saving money because they won’t have to buy school supplies. I also think that it would be really awesome if students go big prizes like laptops and electronic organizers if they graduate with excellent grades because my sister got a Palm Pad when she graduated high school.
-Sonia Aktar

In the Middle
I would like to get money for passing tests. The problem is that I think the students that don’t want to learn still won’t be motivated. Some students might but others probably won’t care. It’s also unfair because what if some students try to pass and they can’t? –Jharline Calderon

I am in-between on this debate. If people start paying children then that would be like buying the kids to do their work. But on the other hand, when children get excited, they will start doing their work for the money. –Jacqueline Rodriguez

I think that [paying students] would motivate students, but they would only learn for the money, not because they love to learn. I don’t have any ideas to motivate students [except] the money so I think they should get paid. I think that if students are going to learn, they will learn because they enjoy learning not because they make them, but I also think that the students who do work hard should get a little reward once in a while. --Marlen Villagomez

NO
I don’t think we should get paid for doing our work because…we are supposed to do our work already. – Emely Oliva

I think it would be great to get paid, but I disagree. We, as students, should already know that school is a responsibility – An anonymous 7th grader.