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Reward Students for Working Hard, Not Just Being Smart
As part of a research study at Harvard University, the Washington, DC school district used rewards to motivate students to improve their attendance and behaviour in school. Ultimately, the goal of the program was to improve student achievement. Teachers awarded points each day to students for attendance, behaviour, wearing a school uniform, turning in homework, and completing class work. Students received incentive checks at the end of each two week period. The average student earned $40 every two weeks out of a possible $100 ($2 per point, 50 possible points).
To test the effects of rewards on students’ reading and math test scores, researchers tested the differences in student achievement between schools randomly assigned to either implement the rewards program or act as a control school. For students in rewards schools, reading achievement increased between .152 and .179 standard deviations. Some students improved more than others; boys made greater achievement gains more than girls. For students who had extremely poor behaviour the year prior to the study, the effects were greatest – these students gained .40 standard deviations in reading.
These results are based on only one year’s data but these preliminary findings offer some suggestions for successful rewards programs. Reward students for working hard (improving attendance, behaviour), not just for being smart (scoring high on standardised tests) and in the end, they may still improve their achievement. A rewards scheme based on improving daily behaviours works especially well for boys and for students who struggle with behaviour issues.
(Based on Roland Fryer’s 2010 report, Financial Incentives and Student Achievement: Evidence from Randomized Trials.)