Cash for Grades Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cash for Grades Research Project - Essay Example Long-term, cash for grades programs are not effective and do not produce the desired educational outcomes which schools hope they will. â€Å"Paying students to behave is totally immoral. How will kids react when the money stops?† (Gill and Lam, 7). This is a good point which reinforces the idea that these programs are not effective long-term. Local high school and university budgets are strained, especially during times of economic difficulty, therefore supporting these programs indefinitely would not be possible from the budget viewpoint. There is bound to be an emotional reaction in students when these programs can no longer be supported which could actually de-motivate students to learn. Therefore, short-term they definitely can motivate students to achieve higher test scores or to absorb class materials, however long-term there are too many potential negative outcomes. These would be expensive programs, especially if, short-term, these programs motivated students to achieve very high grades so that a higher percentage of students achieved A grades. The end result of ending these programs due to budget problems could cause serious academic learning problems with students who had become accustomed to this added incentive. On a different note, the achievement gap between rich and poor students exists because of the quality of life differences for each socio-economic group. In psychology, Abraham Maslow identified a hierarchy of needs, common needs shared by all people in society, which identify physiological needs as the most primary (Weiten and Lloyd, 2005). Physiological needs include shelter, clothing, food and other basic life essentials. Maslow offers that people cannot achieve any greater contribution to becoming a better member of society until these basic needs are satisfied. People with higher economic means do not concern themselves as much with