High school students in Detroit could quickly become up to $1,000 richer just by attending school, and are required by law to do so anyway.
This month, Detroit Public Schools launched a new initiative called perfect attendance benefits to reduce chronic absenteeism. detroit free press Reported.
High school students who attend all classes during the two-week period will receive a $200 gift card. The district has designated five such two-week periods between now and late March, during which students who earn perfect attendance can receive up to $1,000.
Last year, a whopping 66% of the district's students were considered chronically absent. In other words, they missed at least 18 days out of a 180-day school year. michigan law The law requires children between the ages of 6 and 16 to attend school “for the entire school year,” or their parents or guardians could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Superintendent Nicolai Vitti is “excited” about the program, which will encourage more students to comply with the law.
“Consistent attendance is an essential part of student success, and when students in our district miss less than 18 days of school, they are more likely to perform at or above grade level in reading, math, and numeracy. We know it's three to five times more likely. We need to be able to get into college as defined by the SAT,” he said.
In 2023-24, 3rd grade Detroit public schools were considered good for reading comprehension.
Retired principal Dr. Tonya Norwood also supports the program, believing it helps students who are the primary caregivers for their families. “I think a lot of people don’t understand, but a lot of our kids support their families,” she said. fox 2.
“A lot of times our students go to work, so now they have to spend six or seven hours at work and then go home and cook for their brothers.” she continued.
Raymond Kennedy, a senior at Davis Aerospace Technical High School, believes the program works as intended. “This will encourage more people to come to school,” he told the Free Press.
Kennedy also suggested students with transportation issues could use the funds to ride-share to school. “I think some parents of middle school and elementary school students are having a hard time getting their kids to and from school, so using an Uber or Lyft gift card is a great way to ensure your child gets a ride. “School,” he said, but the program appears to only apply to high school students.
Norwood said the initiative does not pay students to attend school. “I think people think, 'Oh, we're going to pay students to come to school,' and that's not the case,” she argued, but if she Even though it explained why, FOX 2 also didn't bring it up during the news broadcast Thursday or in its article.
“Incentives do not necessarily address the situational factors that reduce motivation.”
So far, the program appears to have had some success. At Tuesday's school board meeting, Vitti reported that 1,800 more district high school students earned perfect attendance awards since this year's Christmas break than at the same time last year.
“There are incentives at work at this point,” he reportedly claimed. chalk beatHowever, the first two-week period does not end until Friday.
Despite the enthusiasm, other school districts across the country are offering similar extrinsic incentives to keep kids in school, with mixed results. A 2021 study in Detroit also found that such incentives have “little, if any, impact” on attendance and may even be counterproductive.
A report from the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research states that “incentives do not necessarily address the situational factors that reduce motivation.”
Vitti told Chalkbeat that interest generated from school funds funds the perfect attendance award program.
“That money is sitting in the bank while we wait for the project to be completed. It earns interest. This gives us a lot of flexibility.”
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