With Harvard's Help, Good Grades Pay Off in Chicago

Chicago public high schools are paying students for good grades under a program funded partly by Harvard University, the Tribune reports. Freshmen get $50 for A’s, $35 for B’s and $20 for C’s, with half their earnings held until they graduate. Some 20 other Chicago-area schools, encompassing about 1,650 students, are participating in the program, which also relies on private donations.

Students are understandably enthusiastic about the program, and it seems to be working: 86% of students at the top-achieving school took home some money during the last grading interval. Teachers say they’ve seen kids work harder for grades: “Getting a check is a really personal motivation. Students know if they work harder their personal checks will be bigger,” said one. (More grades stories.)