LEARN AND EARN - TURNING AN IDEA INTO REALITY

My FOX News Interview on Learn and Earn:

Sometimes it takes time, and hard work - but ideas can turn into reality. I first heard my Dad mention the idea of paying for learning in 2005 at the Kennedy School of Government. A visionary known for ideas, Dad has more ideas that most people have thoughts. Well, it took a while, but this idea is now a reality - the Learn and Earn pilot program, and has changed the lives of participating students in Fulton County.

(Newt on Learn and Earn: Download Quicktime video here)

Yesterday, representing the Learning Makes a Difference Foundation, I joined almost 40 middle school and high school students who are participating in the “Learn & Earn” program, along with their teachers to celebrate their achievements. The 15-week study, which began in January, tests the hypothesis that paying students to attend and participate in after-school math and science tutorial sessions will improve their academic performance. The students participating in the program were previously underperforming in math or science (c- or failing).

The students were the stars. I heard story after story about grades improving, and students passing graduation tests. Thee students, who were once struggling in math and science, have learned that hard work does pay off and that they can be successful. Several of the middle schoolers were saving the money that they made for their college fund. Several parents come up to me after the ceremony, thrilled with the program's impact on their children. One parent noted that “The program has turned my child around.” Teachers relayed stories of students who were once contemplating dropping out, who were now excited and engaged in learning.

View a slideshow of pictures from the event

Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts, who championed the program since first hearing the idea from Dad joined us for the event. Robb worked with the Fulton County School system and helped put the key participants together. The initiative was privately funded – using no tax dollars – by Charles Loudermilk, chairman and CEO of Aaron Rents Inc, through the LMD Foundation. Charlie first heard about the idea from Dad at a Buckhead Business Coalition event in January 2006.

The educators in the Fulton County School system were incredible to work with and provided incredible support and assistance. In an time when public education is often disparaged, it was thrilling to work with people who are truly dedicated to teaching and inspiring students. Results so far are encouraging. Learn & Earn teachers report all students have improved performances in math and science, and preliminary student/teacher focus group findings show improved student attitudes and elevated self-confidence levels. A comprehensive statistical report by EMSTAR Research Inc. will be completed this summer and be made available on the Learning Makes a Difference Foundation website.

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Comments

By Anonymous @ Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:42 PM

I agree that instead of rewarding substandard behavior, maybe having to pickup trash or perform some type of unpaid community service may give the kids a taste of how real life can be without an education and then they will make a choice to learn so that their future is better.In the real world, if you don't do your job, (in this case learn at school during school hours), you aren't given another opportunity, you are fired and replaced with someone that is able to do the job. Has your boss ever said"the job that you do from 9-5 is inadequate so come back this evening from 7-10 and redo your work and receive additional pay"? I've never known a company to offer that, but I've known companies that fire you for not performing 9-5.

By Anonymous @ Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:42 PM

By Anonymous @ Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:17 PM

What about kids that need to contribute to household incomes (usually with after school jobs) Maybe an "f" in math during regular school hours will result in an afterschool tutoring session that will pay instead kids having to flip burgers late at night and weekends?

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:43 PM

A school is like any other bussiness. the product that they are producing is well educated students, who graduate and go to college. If any other bussiness failed to perform as badly as our nations school systems, they would be out of bussiness!
It is only that they maintain a monopoly, allowing no compitition that permits them to continue year after year. The City or county gives x number of dollars to provide education for y number of students. x/y is each students share of the tax money their parents ar contributing to in the first place. Give each student a voucher, to be used in the parents choice of school. Be it secular, religious, magnet, whatever as long as it is not a sham. let the public schools compete for students. Public schools will improve, of be unnecessary.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:31 PM

The idea that the program shouldn't be continued or expanded as it would be "bribing" the children to do what they should do anyway, sounds like a Liberal comment.

That's the thing with Liberals isn't it? They are in favor of programs because of some theory that sounds good to them rather than what works. If "it works" to pay kids to get tutoring after school then let's do it, it works.

This thing of paying teachers more money to attract better teachers doesn't work, so why waste money on it? The trouble is not poor teachers, it is that the students are not suficiently motified to pay attention and also to do the work necessary to learn.

Schools will not be improved until we can turn around this Liberal mindset: that if the student doesn't learn, you fail the teacher instead of the student.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 6:48 PM

For those of you equating this with being paid to perform for a business...keep in mind, these are school kids who are learning solely for their own benefit (and now financial reasons for the school w/ No Child Left Behind)......Are you suggesting we then pay those who are the top of the class on a sort of performance-based wage scale. This idea is rather naive and tried.....it throws resources at the wrong cause of the problem....consider putting it towards better teachers....some campaign to promote academic competition....a campaign to highlight old-fashioned hard work....a campaign to get kids/parents/ppl up and engaged in their communities and world, rather than sitting in front of TVs and video games.

Again...interesting idea, but misguided. And the pay for performance idea doesn't make sense when applied to the whole school system. If parents want to devise incentives, fine. If that's the goal of the program....spend the money to promote the idea....not on these specific students.

Short-sided program....will yield some results, but will be short-lived and expensive. Spend the resources elsewhere...let parents be the ones to offer incentives to their kids. This sounds like a potential start to another (useless) expensive government program. (better suited to liberal big government)

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 6:45 PM

I agree that low math scores will show up in the future of America when this generation will be running things and it importance to be well educated in this area. But, to pay students money to learn is just wrong. The "free" tutoring should be incentive enough. The cost of having a tutor outside of the school arena is staggering. My 11 year old grandchild is a victim of "no child left behind' and if she was ever offered free tutoring after school I would jump on it. If the student can make it to all the tutoring sessions for pay, as well as learning, then they should also be able to keep attendance just for the tutoring. It is their loss if they don't take the initiative to better their education. We can't pay all students who would like to do this next time. It could really get expensive.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 6:40 PM

I was a straight A, Summa Cum Laude, student, and never got paid or any kind of incentive to achieve these results. My parents simply raised me well and I was taught to be competitive.

In fact, I made less than the $8/hr (that these poor-performing kids make) working my part-time job ON TOP of my FULL semester course load at college (graduated with a 3.993/4.0....one A-). Interesting idea, but I think this is very short-sided and doesn't hit the heart of what is causing the problems we have.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:35 PM

I think this is the silliest thing i ever heard of. What ever happened to telling kids the same thing we were told, that if you go to school and get a good education then go on to college that you will have a better more prosperous life? I think it is wrong to pay children to learn, they should do it as a means to a better future.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 2:39 PM

this makes no cents to me. if a liberal had initiated this type of program, i suspect mr gingrich would have attacked it from the get go. who pays these kids?? taxpayers.whatsnext,paythem to show up to school. its all part of the immediate gratification that most kids expect these day cause of silly programs such as this. how about an inverse incentive, e.g., all capable kids who don't pass math and science will do summer vacations picking up road trash from 8-5 every week day to pay back the school system's costs involved in holding classes which they failed. if compulsory, which inane approach would produce the better result?

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:08 PM

This is a great idea. Offering a financial incentive for improved performance is a key to many successful business programs.

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:04 PM

I hear the term "bribing kids" used whenever similar topics are discussed, and have never understood it! Adults are paid by their employers for performing to standard. They are given raises and bonuses for performing above the standard. Why should rewarding children for doing their "jobs" today in the exact way they'll be rewarded tomorrow be somehow different or wrong? In my opinion, we're preparing them for EXACTLY the situation they will encounter for the rest of their lives after they enter the work force!

By Anonymous @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 12:40 PM

All students are paid to learn, by the wage earning ability they achieve after graduation. Even my high risk alternative ed students understood they could win the "who wants to be a millionaire" game - the lifetime earnings difference between dropping out and going on to higher learning, whether in college OR specialized vocational training. Any program that works is commendable, but I have a difficult time with bribing kids to do what is right.

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