Financial Incentives for Educational Success: Novel Concept!

According to the Albuquerque Journal:

West Mesa High School students could be pocketing $100 for each Advanced Placement exam they pass in math, English and science next spring.

And AP teachers won’t be left out either, collecting $100 in bonuses for each of their students’ passed tests.

This is one innovative, market-based reform that is straight out of the Florida playbook that Dr. Matthew Ladner outlined recently in New Mexico. While it is by no means a silver bullet, it is a step in the right direction towards more incentives for both students and teachers to perform well.

And yes, students should learn for the sake of learning, but sometimes those incentives are more powerful when an additional financial carrot is provided. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold at West Mesa.