Posted on: Thursday, November 6, 2003

Incentives for good grades can help or hurt

By Monica LaBelle
(Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus-Leader

Some parents offer kids report card incentives.

Christina Vo Vargas earned straight A's in the last quarter of sixth grade, so her parents will take her to Panama this December to visit relatives.

The seventh-grader says earning A's isn't difficult, and she looks forward to the annual trips, which hinge on receiving 4.0 report card marks.

But in fifth grade, she received a B in her favorite subject, math, so she didn't go to Panama. Vo Vargas says she was mad at first, but it made her work harder the next quarter.

As many schools face report card season some students can expect more than a pat on the back for a job well done. They might earn cash and gifts.

But offering rewards for grades might not spur success in every student, and some experts advise against it.

"Parents just get lost in the fog when they start offering rewards," New York psychologist Ken Christian says. "The key is to value learning and to value study itself."

Christian, author of the book "Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement" (Regan, $24.95) recommends parents ask children about what they're studying in school rather than focusing on material consequences such as money for grades.

Lisa Earle McLeod, a mother of two school-age children and author of the book "Forget Perfect" (Perigree, $13.95), agrees.

"School is an investment you make in yourself," she said. "They're going to be the primary beneficiaries."

McLeod, who lives near Atlanta, says her mother would be upset if McLeod paid her children for their marks.

"When my mother dropped me off at University of Georgia in 1981, her parting words were, 'This isn't Harvard, it's UGA, and it's not that damn hard. If you get any C's, you have to pay me back for the class.' Guess who graduated with a 3.5," McLeod says.

But mother Glenda Redding of Sioux Falls, S.D., says material rewards maintain her fifth-grade son's interest in school.

Jacob Redding learned in kindergarten he had attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and even with medication, it's difficult for him to focus on long-term goals.

After years of trial and error, Jacob gained ground when he was offered small items for short-term goals, such as Pokemon cards for a good grade on a spelling test.

Christian says in Jacob's case, small rewards are beneficial.

"They're showing the child that he can focus longer than he thought he could."

Redding says she isn't sure if she'll use a reward system with Jacob's 7-year-old brother, Eli, a first-grader. "He's a totally different kid," she says. "I don't know what's going to evolve."

Doug Hoisington, a middle school counselor, says a child's individual learning style should guide parents when deciding whether or how to reward good grades.

Hoisington says some children thrive on deadlines, some respond to competition and others shrivel in the face of pressure. One reward system won't work for everyone.

Hoisington recommends offering "negative" rewards. Time on the phone, television or computer can interfere with homework; cutting leisure activities until grades improve is one way to rouse students.

"When you talk about motivation, it can be both ways," Hoisington says. "We want them to have a happy balance."