So, apparently, it’s a miscarriage of justice for teachers to get paid based on their performance, but not students. The Houston Chronicle reports that kids in the local district can profit monetarily from getting good scores in math class:
Fifth-graders at select Houston ISD schools will get richer for passing math tests ? and their parents will get paid, too ? under a rare experiment to try to boost student performance with cash incentives totaling as much as $1,020 per family.
The Houston school board signed off Thursday on the $1.5 million program, which is funded by the Dallas-based Liemandt Foundation. The incentives will go to students and parents at 25 elementary schools that rank among the lowest in math achievement.
The pilot program ? thought to be the first that offers joint incentives for parents and students ? will allow fifth-graders to earn up to $440 for passing short math tests that show they have mastered key concepts, according to the draft proposal. Parents will get slightly less money for their children doing the work, and they can earn an extra $180 for attending nine conferences with teachers to review the youngsters’ progress.
Combined, the students and their parents can pocket $1,020.
I doubt this unfair system will last long. After all, whatever happened to equality? It isn’t right that some students get cash and others don’t ? and just because they worked harder! What’s up with that?
