AnnotatedOpinions.com

PUTTING COLD hard cash in the hands of students as an incentive to stay in school could go a long way toward solving . . . chronic dropout problem. . .  

. . . many middle class youths already operate on a rewards system that is linked to school attendance and performance. It’s called allowance. And those young people who don’t receive a regular stipend at least have a decent chance of hitting up their parents for the price of a movie and McDonald’s. . .   

[AO: Although the Boston Globe makes a strong argument, there are two problems that it fails to address. The first problem is that often the reasons kids don’t stay in school are complex and go well beyond simply not wanting to be in the classroom. As long as those reasons exist, the program is unlikely to be successful.   

Secondly, even assuming providing financial payments to kids can make them stay in school, there are alternatives to just handing out checks. The globe identifies one: creation of after-school jobs that help potential dropouts to develop “self-awareness’’ and “aspirations.’’ However, the Globe suggests that this is not a viable alternative because Neil Sullivan and Boston Private Industry Council, the nonprofit that Sullivan heads, can only find jobs for about a quarter of the kids. But this is where the “alternatives” come in. At the very least, rather than paying kids to show up to class, why not partner with private companies who are willing to hire the kids with the agreement that communities will subsidize their employment. This will enable communities to help even more kids as the total amount available will be increased by the portion of their salaries contributed by employers. Employers will also be more interested in participating in such programs because they can hire employees at lower cost.  

These two issues should be considered seriously before major investment in the types of programs the Globe seem to endorse.]