Achievement Gap

I recently saw an interview with an economist named Roland Fryer. He pointed out some statistics concerning low achievement in schools by American children. He noted that minority students are showing especially low performance and have the highest drop out rates. I could elaborate on these statistics, but many of these issues are well known and the information is widely available for your own research. The interesting thing about this interview was his solution to the problem.

In New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago, schools are beginning to offer money to students for good performance in school. Fryer stated that a student can earn $50 every five weeks for an "A" grade in each class. That is a possible $250-300 every five weeks! This innovative strategy is in the beginning stages and no one knows if it will work. However, I believe there is a fundamental flaw in this strategy: a need for basic parenting.

In the last few years, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of mentorship, investment in others, and serving people. It is pretty clear from the Scripture that we are called to serve and sacrifice for others. We are to live in community and learn and grow together. This includes some valuable lessons about parenting. I am not a parent, but I do have a couple people that I am mentoring. Investment in others is a key to healthy development as a human being. I know my parents taught me so many important lessons and this is the key to healthy child development.

The social crisis America is experiencing in education, finances, and morality must be addressed from a healthy perspective that looks at core problems. Healthy mentoring, an attitude of service, and a worldview of sustainability must be present for a cultural shift. I may be simplifying complex issues, but I know that in this specific example of paying children to succeed, the core problem of terrible parenting must be addressed to really solve this problem.