问答题 2.  The idea of paying students for good grades is a very controversial subject. Some say this is a good incentive that will encourage students to improve their grades. Others say it is morally wrong and will send students the wrong idea. The following is a new report on a study for a pay-for-performance program. Read it carefully and write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
    1. summarize briefly the result of the study and the public's view on the issue;
    2. give your comment.
    Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
    Write your article on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
    Back in the day, a good report card earned you a parental pat on the back, but now it could be money in your pocket. Experiments with cash incentives for students have been catching on in public-school districts across the country, and so has the debate over whether they are a brilliant tool for hard-to-motivate students or bribery that will destroy any chance of fostering a love of learning. Either way, a rigorous new study—one of relatively few on such pay-for-performance programs—found that the programs get results: cash incentives help low-income students stay in school and get better grades.
    According to a study by the social-policy research group MDRC, cash incentives combined with counseling offered "real hope" to low-income and nontraditional students at two Louisiana community colleges. The program for low-income parents, funded by the Louisiana Department of Social Services and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, was simple: enroll in college at least half-time, maintain at least a C average and earn $1,000 a semester for up to two terms. Participants, who were randomly selected, were 30% more likely to register for a second semester than were students who were not offered the supplemental financial aid.
    Students offered cash incentives in the Louisiana program didn't just enroll in more classes; they earned more credits and were more likely to attain a C average than were nonparticipants. And they showed psychological benefits too, reporting more positive feelings about themselves and their abilities to accomplish their goals for the future.
    Although U.S. college enrollment has climbed, college completion rates have not. Only a third of students who enroll in community colleges—which educate nearly half the undergraduates in the U.S.—get a degree within six years.
    Despite the study's impressive, although short-term results, some critics in higher education are concerned that cash incentives will encourage students to start taking easier courses to ensure they'll do well enough to pocket the money. "Everyone knows what the gut classes are when you're in college," notes Kirabo Jackson, an assistant professor of labor economics at Cornell who has studied cash incentives for high school students. "By rewarding people for a GPA, you're actually giving them an impetus to take an easier route through college." Other critics note that students' internal drive to learn may be drained as they focus on getting an external reward.
    Arnel Cosey, vice president of New Orleans' Delgado Community College, says she understands why some people are concerned that cash incentives are nothing more than bribery. But she says, "If that's what we need to do for these people to reach these goals, which ultimately will lead to them having a better life, I wish I had more money to give."
    Besides, as Cosey adds, if all goes well, students will be getting cash incentives for their work soon after graduating—in the form of a paycheck. "Most of us wouldn't turn up at work every day if we weren't getting a check," she says. "What's wrong with starting the payment a little early?"