Putting A Pricetag ... On Learning

(CBS)  It was a first for Tonia Jones' four children. None has ever had a library card.

"We'll go to the table and fill them out," Jones said.

What did it take to get them to the library?

Fifty dollars ... each, CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports.

"I'm a single parent," Jones said. "It's hard out here."

A pilot program called Opportunity NYC pays low-income families cash incentives to do what many say they should be doing anyway.

$25 dollars for attending parent teacher conferences;

$600 for kids passing a standardized test;

$200 for getting a yearly physical;

All told, up to $6,000 a year in cash rewards per family.

"I don't think it's a bribe," Jones said.

So-called "Learn & Earn" payment programs are spreading.

Private or publicly funded programs exist now in at least 11 states, including Georgia, which pays kids $8 an hour to be tutored after school.

"We cannot continue to do things as we've done them in the past because it is simply not working," said Robb Pitts, the Fulton (Georgia) County Commissioner.

"I think it could end up being the most destructive welfare program ever devised," said Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute.

Critics say throwing money at the problem won't fix it.

"This is not an economic transaction; it's something that is part of what it means to be a good parent," Mac Donald said.

But those in favor of the payment programs say it's hard to argue with success. In Dallas, students have been rewarded $100 for passing college prep exams for the past 12 years - with striking results.

"Over 30 percent are scoring over 1100 on the SAT or ACT college equivalent," said Gregg Fleisher of the National Math and Science Initiative.

Said Jones' 17-year-old daughter, Gigi Martino. "I don't do it for the money."

Already No. 1 in her class, Gigi will earn a $400 bonus just for graduating high school.

"I want to make my future better," Martino said. "Getting an education, doing the right thing and going to college are the best way out."

And $400 toward tuition doesn't hurt.

[phlew73]

Unfortunately, a cycle of non-parenting is taking place, and only education can help. You learn to be a parent by how you are raised. If you have not had good role models, where are you going to learn good parenting skills? It''s up to schools, churches, and, unfortunately, government programs to educate those in this situation. Regarding nuffy4''s comment about teacher pay: Teachers sign a contract every year to work X amount of days, probably between 185 and 220. This contract covers regular school hours. It does not cover mandatory lunch duties (leaving no free time to eat), bus duties, ballgame duties, extracurricular activity duties, etc., which occur outside of the school day. When I calculate my annual salary and divide it by the time I was required to put in to obtain that salary, it comes to around $22 per hour -- hardly top pay for a professional with a master''s degree. Since I didn''t work during the summer, during Thanksgiving, during Christmas, etc., I was NOT PAID for those days. I chose to take my salary and divide it over 12 months to have a steady paycheck coming in. It has long been a misconception that we were paid for those vacation times. Teachers don''t get paid vacations! While we don''t pay malpractice insurance, we do pay liability insurance to cover us if someone becomes disgruntled with the job we are doing in the classroom. Fortunately, most teachers do their job for the love of the children, not for the salary and benefits!

[andyli1004]

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[kaibee2]

To the misinformed nuffy4; I feel sorry for you. It''s very obvious that you have a lack of knowledge about what goes on in the life of a teacher. I understand your frustration about paid holidays, but they are far and few between. I would love to see you go into a classroom with with 22-28 kids at once and teach kids who bring the issues of the world with them that impede their learning. Your clueless accusations lead me to believe that you haven''t sat in a classroom lately to see what really takes place. With standards higher than ever for students and teachers'' necks on the line; it''s the equivalent of mal practice. Also teachers had to attend school and for some that means taking out student loans. We don''t have six figure salaries like doctors do. Look at a teacher pay scale to see what we make. We have families to support as well as health insurance and other deductions that come off the top of our checks. So while you are talking about staff development days which you so eloquently called "teacher development" get informed. Education changes daily just as technology and medicine do. We are professionals just as doctors, lawyers, etc. If it weren''t for teachers teaching people like you and other professionals, where would you or they be? I hope this will spark an interest in you learning more about what the sacrifices that we make for your children, if you have any. Thanks for you comment.

[nuffy4]

Poor teachers... Paid time off for every holiday, sick days,(when I''m sick or on a rare vacation guess what...NO PAY for me), health benefits (try paying for that on your own), no mal practice insurance to pay, paid time off for "teacher development days", develop on your own time like the rest of the world. You are right..poor doctors, with the debt of the education alone to be called an MD, I should have been a teacher. You probably make more than me.

[kaibee2]

' Are they going to pay my child for doing well in school although I work with her every night at home? How fair it is to the families who work hard at home and their kids are doing well. Should they too not be rewarding for performing well in the classroom? What should the teachers get for working with the disadvantaged children who come to school one to two years behind and have to pull them up to grade level in a semester. What about me? I have been a single-mother for almost three years now. I get up, cook breakfast, comb hair, get myself dressed, drop off my child and then go to work for 8 hrs. Pick her up try to get in some gym time on lunch. Go home and try to prepare somewhat of a decent meal and work on phonics, math, reading or something. What%u2019s the difference, shouldn%u2019t we get a little something for our hard work? Society would say no because: I have two degrees and work in the school system and "make too much money." I say it%u2019s no different from the single mother who sits at home all day! Okay she lives in a low socio-economic situation, but she is choosing to become her situation and not change it. Her kids didn''t ask to be on this earth. I personally don%u2019t want to be paid for something that I signed up to be: a parent! I am not leaving my child''s education up to the school. What happened to working hard for everything that you have? Paying parents and kids%u2026please.

[catmax2]

We are from a middle income family and we pretty much live paycheck to paycheck, but my bills are always paid. I would like someone to pay me for my son to have a physical or for passing a test. No wonder this country is so messed up. I guess it would be better for me to quite my job and become part of the economy that is lower class and have everything paid for me.

[dkz2004]

I don''t see or understand what the big deal is about pay for grades, we all do, we all have done it. As parents, students, mentors, teachers, Instructors,grand parents,uncles,nephews,nieces,aunts,great grand parents,officers of the law, politicians,monitors,doctors,hostess,managers,bosses,c.e.o.,c.e.o.,congress men,congress women,ministers,preachers... They are called incentives people! Why is it such a big deal? I think it has to do with the haves, and the have not. And of course color. Covering up the real issues, and living in denial, is disgusting. Its sad, and hameful. facing your racial problems, fears, and hatred''s, of people of color is good. Didn''t the murders of Malcom, Martin, Metger,Mahatma, The Kennedy''s, Abraham Lincoln, teach us anything. I mean how many have to die, because of this racial bull! I hope and I pray, for this country. my country tis of the. Black America now not only has to deal with the black and white issue, we have to deal with Latinos kill us because of the color of our skin. I mean, when will it end. than blacks, in order to receive justice.Getting murdered because of the color one bares, is sick! And why cant we all just get a long. They made fun of Rodney King when he asked that question. I wonder would they still be laughing, and making fun of him, or us, if he would of called for destruction. *** wholes like Leno, wouldn''t be laughing so much then. Why is a call for peace, in a time of destruction, chaos, and murder so funny.

[monteee6]

Poor doctors.....wow. I feel badly for you. I''m glad I ''m a teacher and not have to worry about finances like physicians..........

[nuffy4]

I was so upset after seeing your piece on paying parents for such things as good grades and attending PTA meetings that I just had to sound off. What really got me was the payment of $200.00 for yearly doctors visits. The poor Doctor receives so little to examine the child. The patient is making more than the practitioner. Most likely these low income people are on government assistance and the Doctor accepting this medicaid is getting reimbursed pittance from the state. My husband is a physician and suffers from decreased reimbursements every year. The "High Cost of Healthcare" we all have been hit over the head with is not because of the doctors fees, those only go down. We, as a country, have hit an all time low when we are paying people to see a doctor and the doctor is making less than the patient. Why don''t we pay people to have less children, who can''t afford them in the first place. If Hillary, Obama or McCain can figure out a way to reduce the CEO salaries of these large insurance companies and pay the hard working doctors a living wage, then they would have my vote

[manthony222]

I am extremely upset at this story. To even consider paying people as incentive to parent their children is unacceptable. Library cards are free and to think tht it took a mom to be offered money in order to take her children to the library makes me ill. This type of program does not promote pride in learning and education, but rather selfishness and the feeling of entitlement in order to succeed. This is not the answer to our education problems in this country.