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Using Incentives to Motivate Students
Story posted June 2, 2008
Results:
• Substantial decrease in discipline visits to the principal's office
• Increased homework completion rate
• Average number of participating students increased from 100 to between 250 and 300 each month
Cameron Elementary School in Barstow, CA, serves a very diverse population-almost half are Hispanic and a quarter are African-American. Over 70% of students receive free or reduced lunch. School staff faced a daunting challenge: getting students to want to come to school and learn.
Cameron staff wanted to show students, especially those with behavioral issues, about how beneficial and rewarding learning can be. In 2005, former Principal Shirley Lester came up with an idea: a monthly "Principal's Prize"-special events for students who are doing well. With the collaboration of the principal and the PTA, the Prize became a reality that has continued through Ms. Lester's retirement and into current Principal Delton's term.
Students are invited to attend these special events only if they meet certain conditions: no more than 1 day absent or tardy per month, no disciplinary visits to the Principal's office, and 100% of homework turned in.
At these 2-hour events, the school serves students refreshments and entertains them with the latest movie, magic shows, outdoor games, DJ parties, and many other events. At least once or twice during the year the students get to go somewhere special, like Chuck E. Cheese or the movie theater. Initially, the events were funded mainly by the PTA, with the school paying transportation costs when the students left campus. Now, Principal Delton uses school funding for the "Principal's Prize," giving the incentive and reward money his school has earned back to the students.
While it is difficult to measure the direct impact of this program on students, evidence suggests that the monthly rewards are influencing student behavior. The school has seen a substantial decrease in discipline visits to the principal's office, due in part to the fact that students really want to be invited to these events. Homework completion is increasing as well. Though the criteria for invitation have gotten stricter over the years, the number of students invited has risen from about 100 a month when the program started to between 250-300 students a month out of a school population that fluctuates between 540 and 600. For example, in December 2005, 150 students were invited to a visit from Santa Claus. In December 2006, 250 students were.
Through this program, Cameron staff is showing that students really respond to positive incentives, and students are learning that good things happen with hard work.
For additional information on this story, please contact:
Lori Tawney
Former PTA President, Cameron Elementary School
jmlril3@msn.com
Derrick Delton
Principal, Cameron Elementary School
derrick_delton@busdk12.com
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