Student Success Research Paper

Many students find themselves struggling with school subjects like math, history, and reading. This can be due to the lack of interest, focus or motivation in school. Learning is the process of gathering knowledge, behaviors and skills over a period of time. These necessities play an important role in the student’s day to day life and help set their future path. Therefore the need for students to achieve academic success is crucial. If schools would reward students with money in exchange for good grades, we would see a decrease in unsuccessful students. Participating in providing adolescents a salary for their excellent grades improves college opportunities, reduces financial stress, and increases the reputation of the school.
Getting paid
for good grades opens the door to more college opportunities. If these students are being rewarded with cash for their grades, they will step up and work harder to obtain acceptable grades. Good grades will lead to increase in the students GPA, grade point average. The GPA is an essential part of the college admission requirements. Also, many colleges set a 3.0 GPA as a standard for freshman and transfer admissions. Even though paying for good grades may sound like bribery, it’s more like a reward for hard work. It is kind of like the work of chores. If you accomplish and finish your chores, you get paid, but if you decide to not to do them, you don’t get paid. In fact, as the GPA increases, the more choices of college opportunities come to the student’s. “The bonuses and extra support sparked an increase in AP and IB test takers primarily among black and Hispanic students” (Jackson). He also mentioned that “the portion of students scoring above 1100 on the SAT or above 24 on the ACT increased 80 percent for black students and 50 percent for Hispanic students.” As a result, if we award adolescents cash for their grades, the student’s college choice opportunities will increase.
The domino effect of rewarding good grades with money continues by helping reduce financial stress.
The cost of college tuition continues to increase over time, therefore making it even harder for many students to be able to attend. With higher GPA scores being earned due to the financial incentive for good grades, students are able to qualify and receive financial aid, scholarships, and grants. Most financial aids, scholarships, and grants require a certain GPA average in order to be able to qualify. Even though there are parents out there that have the money to pay for their kids’ college, not all parents have the money to have their kid even attend college. “While proponents hope those millions will help close achievement gaps, especially in poor communities where a dollar really makes a difference” (Flannery). By students being able to qualify and receive financial assistance to pay for college, it tremendously reduces the financial stress many parents and students
experience.
The reputation of the school also benefits from the students success.
“The average hour per year an American youth spends in school hours is 900 hours. Over a 13 year period, that’s 11,700 hours” (Google). In fact, school plays an important role in a student’s life. With increased tests scores and academic achievements, the school obtains a good reputation. Even though students don’t need to worry about the school’s reputation, they should because with the more passing scores the better the reputation and financial the school is. Also, with growing test scores, it will lead to more student enrollment which will benefit the school financially as well. This will create a win-win situation for both the school and
students.
“The hope embedded in these programs is that once students are encouraged to do what we want them to, these activities will take on a life of their own and continue without incentives” (Peterson). Even though there may be still some students struggling. The majority of them aren’t. We are working and making this generation of giving a reward for good grades to increase to where it can become worldwide. By giving students these rewards in exchange for good grades, it really helps colleges receive applicants, it reduces stress, and lastly it gives a very good reputation of the school.