Roland Fryer

About a year ago, I read this article about Roland Fryer's efforts to improve educational achievement for black children in the New York City public school system. His research indicated that black children did not do as well in school as children of other races. Relying on his economics background, he helped institute a program that pays children a certain amount of money every few weeks for maintaining a certain grade in each class.

Mr. Fryer cited the fact that these children have no tangible examples of successful people who look like them to motivate them academically. I wonder if this is as relevant now that we have a black President-elect.

I have no doubt that in the short term, the results of an initiative like this will be very promising. Every child likes to have spending money, and a little bit of focus to earn it is doable. But in the long term, the effect is that a generation of children is growing up expecting a large reward for a little effort on a regular basis. This is not the value system that grows businesses, composes beautiful works of art, or forges scientific advancement.

It might be that this student population's achievement is so far behind that it needs to be jump started with an economic incentive. But this can only really be of use to these students if it is coupled with a drastic change in how they perceive success, and what they think they can achieve.

The Seed Foundation addresses this problem using a more holistic approach. The SEED boarding schools help children from an urban environment shape their priorities and develop a value system that includes education and learning. We will only know the answer to this question in a decade, but I hope we can find a way to pass on a love of learning to these children. After all, test scores say nothing about what children will do with what they have learned once the test is over.