And for Perfect Attendance, Johnny Gets... a Car?!

In last week's Presidential State of the Union Address George Bush included the No Child Left Behind Act as an important initiative maintaining America's competitive economic and technological edge:

In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors, like China and India, and this creates uncertainty, which makes it easier to feed people's fears.... Tonight I will set out a better path: an agenda for a nation that competes with confidence; an agenda that will raise standards of living and generate new jobs. Americans should not fear our economic future, because we intend to shape it.... Keeping America competitive begins with keeping our economy growing. And our economy grows when Americans have more of their own money to spend, save, and invest.

The American people are receptive and have taken this to heart. In schools across the nation, children and parents have new incentives for model attendance: money. Depending on the record of attendance, children may be granted $25 and in other cases, to entice parents, there is a months' rent, cars, ipods, and DVD players. Of course, the response has been stupendous in rural and lower income districts. In the more robust areas of the country, the attitude is quite different; as Miss Viggiani comments, "It's $25. I mean almost nobody cares."

It seems from a very young age these children are being able to partake in the Presidential plan for the country and learn to save, invest, and contribute to the economy. On the other, the carrot on the end of the stick method is a bit disheartening. It does not solve why school attendance is inconsistent. Are children bored? Is the curriculum wanting? Is there no passion communicated in the learning process? This scheme may assist in the short-term, but over all more profound questions need to be asked and addressed instead of meeting attendance quotas for a bigger budget.

For more information please visit And for Perfect Attendance, Johnny Gets... a Car by Pam Belluck of the New York Times.